


Sacrifice

by bluegill (orphan_account)



Category: Layton Kyouju Series | Professor Layton Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Gen, POV Multiple, Religious Cults
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:47:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 19
Words: 58,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24004576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/bluegill
Summary: When the world is struck by an unimaginable virus, five people have to stick together more than ever before to survive the apocalypse. Soon, a series of terrible events strike them, leaving them to decide between life and death.
Relationships: Emmy Altava/Clive, Hershel Layton & Flora Reinhold & Luke Triton
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. Introducing, Luke

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, this fic wasn't written by me. It was originally written by KeepSmilingOn329 on FF.net back at 2011 (now deleted). I luckily had recovered it through Wayback Machine, though its extra chapters unfortunately went missing (I knew because I used to read it back in 2013-ish).  
> This fic was written back before the fourth game was released. So, you may notice Emmy being out-of-character here compared at how the games portrayed her.
> 
> I take no credit for this fanfiction. My only intention were to preserve this fic from being lost forever. I tried to left it as it originally written, with some necessary editing.

_POV: Luke_

I curl up by the window, hugging my knees to my chest. I almost grimace at the sight that lay before me out of the glass. Cars are brutally flipped over as if they are playthings, blood is splattered on the roads and the sky is entirely cloaked in black. Smoke rises from buildings that weren't already knocked to the ground. Of course, the scene is familiar to me, it just had got worse since the last time I saw it. Life was certainly a puzzle.

It was only two weeks ago in which the virus first broke out. People thought it was only a simple cold, as it had the same symptoms, but then they started dying from it. Once these people were 'dead', they'd rise again, only this time as carnivorous zombies craving human flesh. The virus had spread all over Britain faster than ever before, leaving hardly anybody remaining alive. The people who were immune to the virus in the first place became easy prey to the zombies, so that is why we have to hide out here for the time being.

My name is Luke Triton. My mentor, Professor Layton, my adopted sister, Flora Reinhold, and friends, Clive Dove and Emmy Altava accompany me to this very day. We all didn't catch the virus as it spread, so therefore we are 'zombie-food.' As if we would give ourselves up _that_ easily.

We've been living in a dingy old flat for a week now, with only a month's supply of nachos to keep us going. The water is disgusting, but it has to do. Clive and Emmy have gone out to get supplies from perhaps a nearby supermarket, what with them both being young enough to fight off zombies but old enough to look after themselves. The Professor has to stay here to look after Flora and I, and Flora tries to prepare dinner the best she can using what Clive and Emmy have found. My role is to keep watch over the flat and to observe where the zombies will go next. They haven't figured out that we're in here yet, but when they do, we have to run. Zombies are stronger than we think- at least that's what the Professor always says. I had never actually seen one before, only the trail of destruction they leave behind.

I remember my first encounter with them. It was late at night when the Professor jolted me out of bed and told me to have a shower and gather my things. 'Only the most important things', he said to me. I had scoured my bedroom for valuable items, but I took too long and only ended up taking my teddy bear, a blanket and a few changes of clothes. I was completely clueless as to where we were going, but judging by the Professor's sudden change of tone in his voice, it was certainly important. He had packed bottles of water, a giant box of nachos and a few other food products that wouldn't last us longer than a day. Flora had done the same as me. When all was silent, an audible screech emitted from outside, followed by what seemed like thousands more. There was a banging on the front door. The Professor urgently ushered us to the window, where we climbed out before 'they' could get us.

We had run, far far away to anywhere that wasn't close to the scene. As we had found out though, this was a global predicament. The zombie apocalypse had begun. All I remembered after that was fire, the smell of rotting flesh and burning rubber. We had found this place after a lot of running, even though it wasn't in best of conditions, we still needed to stay somewhere temporarily. Clive and Emmy had found each other before us. Apparently Emmy had raced over to the Prison to break him out before he was zombie food as well, and from there they tracked us down too.

A knock on the door snaps me out of my thoughts. I push them back and stand up slowly, edging closely towards it. I recognise the secret knock used by only us, but what if a zombie overheard? I assume that they are clever. I unlock the door cautiously and swing it open, hand hovering in the direction of a baseball bat kept next to the door in case. Standing in the doorway is no one other than Clive and Emmy, each carrying one bag of supplies. I sigh in relief and step back, permitting them to come inside quickly. The pair is used to my wariness, and need not ask about it.

"What did you find?" The Professor asks, emerging from the next room. His question is directed at the two.

"Not much, per usual," Emmy begins, scratching her head. "It was a good thing that those zombies didn't see us today."

Clive sighs and places his bag down on the floor. He sits down next to it and buries his face into his palms. He is worried, probably, worried for all of us. We all know that we can't stay here long before the zombies find us, and we don't know where we should go next. Emmy hands Flora her bag, and Flora picks out a can of spam.

"I don't really know what to make with this. Perhaps we'll all just eat spam tonight" She suggests and brings the bags into the kitchen.

Flora was never a good cook, but besides this she has nothing else to do so we left her to do this. I slump down next to Clive. I never liked him that much before, but this apocalypse has led to us always sticking together. I give him a tight, reassuring hug and he returns it. Emmy and the Professor agree to stay up overnight and keep watch.

After a dinner consisting of spam and nachos, I head off to my bed in the corner of the room. My bed is mainly made of clothes and a small blanket that I had thankfully remembered from the flat. Staring at the ceiling, I recap the events that have gone on in the past week. The world outside is highly dangerous at the moment, one false step and you could be killed within an instant. I find it hard to drift off, but I manage to anyway. I do not dream, I just worry.

A harsh blow to my shoulder wakes me up. Surveying my surroundings, I realise that it isn't morning yet. Or it could be, just in the early hours of it. My tired eyes meet Emmy's, who yanks me up and holds me steady when I stumble.

"Wha-" I start, stifling a yawn but I am cut off by a hand clamped to my mouth.

"Shut up" Emmy whispers.

I obey in confusion and then I hear it. A familiar thumping is to be heard on the walls. A chill runs down my spine and I freeze in fear. Everyone in the room seems to share the same thought as one another.

They've found us. And it's not long until they get inside.


	2. On the Run

_POV: Emmy_

I draw in a breath of air then hold it in, attempting to be as quiet as possible. Everyone is obviously aware that there are zombies outside the apartment and that there is a large chance of them murdering us all. I tiptoe silently over to the door and pick up a hatchet in the weapons box. The weapons box is there for safety, so each of us has a weapon to fight off the zombies. I grip the hatchet close to me and then smile slightly. This isn't my first encounter with zombies as I fight them daily, but then I had no lives in my hands. Now I do. A small part of me is quite afraid, but I don't let that put me down. I have to protect my friends with all my strength. Clive exchanges worrying glances with me, as he shares the responsibility as well.

"It's going to be a while until they get in- two minutes or so. Pack your bags with the essentials" Hershel orders in a whisper to Luke and Flora and they instantly shoot off to do so.

The door suddenly gives way and I gasp. Three zombies spill out of the gap and amble around in our room. Clive and I nod to each other and instantly start hacking at the undead creatures with our weapons. Flora screams and backs away in a corner to avoid being struck upon. When all of the zombies are finally dead, Clive shouts "GO!" and everybody starts running to the world outside. It's as terrible as I remember; only now there are zombies at every corner waiting to strike. Smoke fills our lungs and the ash in the air traps itself in our eyes. Flora shrieks in terror and hides behind the Professor, clutching him in peril of dying. I realise that the only thing we can do now is run for our lives.

So we do. Luke, being the youngest and the most energetic, takes the lead and sprints as if we were competing against each other in a race. I'm not far behind and neither is Clive, followed by the Professor and Flora. The zombies are fast too, and they are tailing the two behind us with hardly any effort at all. You'd think that zombies were slow and snail-like, but in fact zombies on the hunt are extremely fast so they could catch their prey within an instant. I learnt that from experience. I forget that the apocalypse is worse at night, as that is the period of time in which the zombies are most active. I sigh and keep running, attempting to catch up to Luke but to no avail. Instead, I run next to Clive, seeking company. Clive is a great friend of mine and we share lots of traits together, such as being adventurous and clever in what we do. I feel the crisp harsh winds slapping against my face as I whizz through the air of the night. Soon, we lose the zombies and I feel triumphant; this is a positive sign that we won't die tonight.

All of a sudden everyone hears a sharp thud behind them and we all skid to a halt, Clive and I preparing our weapons just in case something happens. I turn around to see that Flora has fallen down over her billowing dress and scraped her knee. We immediately rush over to help and nurse her wounds when we all hear a familiar thumping on the earth. The zombies have caught up to us. Thinking that it won't be a problem to handle the decaying creatures once more, I extend my weapon, ready. Clive, Luke and the Professor help Flora to her feet and they try to run but the young girl holds them back. Just when I think that there are only one or two zombies around the corner, more join in on the 'killing spree' until there are about ten or eleven trudging around the corner. No way can I finish them all.

My breathing quickens as I start to panic and I rush over to warn the others, begging for more defences. Clive huffs and decides to perform his duty by protecting the others again, but even I know that the two of us couldn't kill them all. The Professor sighs and hauls Flora onto his shoulder, running with the extra weight. Even with that, he's still fast. I'm impressed. What other talents could the great professor possess?

Before long, Luke stops running.

"What's the matter, my boy?" Layton asks out of interest.

The boy slowly points a finger ahead of him in response. A large brick wall blocks us from going any further- it's a dead end. I turn back to the zombies behind us and realise that we have no chance of escaping.

We would be dead in a matter of seconds.


	3. Rescued?

_POV: Layton_

Just when we prepare to accept our deaths, a light is shone overhead which piques my curiosity. Are we dead? I shade my eyes and look up, where my line of sight meets a blinding source of light. A whirring of propellers echoes in our ears and a harsh wind breezes past us. I see a rope ladder tumble down next to our group.

"QUICKLY! CLIMB UP!" A familiar voice yells above and we all do so as fast as we could to escape the zombies behind us.

They crowd around the rope ladder, seemingly confused as to how they could use the object. Luckily, the brainless creatures don't manage to figure it out as the last person makes it into the helicopter and we swoop away into the charcoal-coloured sky. I turn to our saviour and sit in the seat next to him, catching my breath. Luke and Flora have climbed into the seats behind us while Clive and Emmy sit on the ground next to the open doors, overlooking the city as it burned. I don't have to look at them to know that they are wincing at the blood-curdling sight.

"Paul! You're alive!" I exclaim, surprised.

I must admit, I had forgotten about our friend Paul when we had gathered together. I feel quite horrible indeed for performing an act so un-gentlemanly.

"Well, did you expect me to die out there? _Don Paolo_ doesn't welcome death so easily" Paul growls and I smile in relief. It's good to know that Paul is alive and well.

"Thank you very much for rescuing us, anyway" I mention, nodding in approval.

"How could I leave you to die down there, as much as I would like my revenge on you? Anyway, I was just flying by in my new helicopter when I saw you and your little _posse_ about to meet your deaths. What else could I do?"

I turn back to the children behind me, noticing the fear on their faces. Clive is holding the side of the helicopter as he surveys our surroundings below. He and Emmy are watching with faces of little emotion though inside I can tell what they are thinking: 'why did this happen to us?'

"I'm hungry!" A young voice interrupts my thoughts.

"How can you be hungry at a time like THIS?" Paul scowls in frustration, gripping the wheel tighter as his expression turns into a grimace.

Luke whines and slumps back in his seat, looking out the window.

Flora looks at Luke sympathetically for a moment and then looks at Paul. She tilts her head to the side and pouts.

"Don Paolo… please may we eat something?" She pipes up, her voice twinkling like a chorus of bells.

Paul hesitates and then gestures to the back of the helicopter. "Alright. There's some crisps in that cupboard. Enough for all of you. Make sure you pass me one too."

Luke jumps in joy and instantly darts over to the cupboard in the back and thrusts it open. Around twenty packets of crisps are lodged into the tight space. The young boy squeals and throws five packets out for the rest of us, saving his favourite flavour for himself. I almost roll my eyes at Luke's typical behaviour.

When everyone is settled, I hear Emmy's bold voice from behind me.

"Don, where are we even going?"

Paul sighed for a moment and hung his head. "I honestly don't know."

Everyone seems to be shocked by his confession.

"WHAT?" Luke exclaims, jumping up from his seat.

"The plan is to just escape here altogether. It doesn't matter where we go, we just need to _survive_ now. If you don't want to travel across the globe then just jump out the window, brat" Paul spits and I shoot him an icy glare, but refuse to say anything that may ruin my reputation as a gentleman.

Luke stays silent until the others decide to discuss the matter.

"Can we go to China? I've always wanted to go to China…" Flora requests.

"I haven't any maps at the moment, but if we do come across China, we'll land there."

"Paul, you seem awfully positive about this decision. What about the hazards?" I inquire, suddenly worried for our safety.

"Hazards? Ah no. This baby here is built to survive _anything_ ," Paul gives the machinery in front of him a little slap. "Built it myself, you know."

"I must say, I'm impressed" I comment, tipping my hat. And I truly am. I just hope that we do survive like Do- Paul intends to himself.


	4. Exploding Events

_POV: Clive_

I must be thankful to even be alive. If Emmy hadn't rescued me from that damned prison, then who knows where I'd currently be... dead...alive...or one of THEM... I shake the thought out of my head; I can't stand thinking what life would be like as a brainless zombie. Urgh, how I hate those creatures. Who knew that life as it was could change in one day? Before this I was locked up in a dingy cell, keeping the promise of atonement I had previously made to the Professor one year ago... Well, atonement can wait. It only matters about survival now, as Don Paolo had stated. But, looking over the city and witnessing countless peoples' deaths, I must wonder what would be the benefit of living anyway? This whole disaster is world-wide, so where would we escape to?

I sigh and tuck my knees under my arms. I lean against the wall of the helicopter, being careful not to fall out of the open door. The brisk wind kisses my face as we fly over the scene. Flora, Luke and presumably the Professor are fast asleep, probably tired from our little escape previously. Don Paolo is obviously awake, as he is driving this thing, but I had no idea why Emmy was still conscious opposite me. I decide to do my best to find out.

"E-Emmy?" I call softly, careful not to wake the others.

She hesitates before turning her head at me. Her mournful, sunken eyes fixate on me with a sad gaze. "My mother's down there" She mumbles quietly, blinking back salty tears.

I look down to my feet, remembering Spring and Cogg, the ones I left behind. They are probably dead now, and I didn't even try to save them back then. I sigh.

"Just try to think positive. Your mother's a strong woman, she can escape just like us!" I try to reassure her, but she shakes her head slowly.

"How can anyone think positive at a time like this, Clive? The world as we know it is coming to its end, and we're mere witnesses. We cannot save it from its demise. Miracles don't happen so easily."

"We're alive! That's bound to qualify as a miracle!"

Emmy refuses to say more on the subject and she goes back to observing our surroundings outside the flying machine. Never before have I seen Emmy so broken. My eyes travel down to my knees and I hang my head. Emmy's right. This is the end of the world, and from now, there is more chance of us dying than surviving.

* * *

A blaring alarm disturbs me from my slumber. I rub my tired eyes and look outside. The sun hasn't risen yet, so I presume that it is still the early morning. Anyway, I get on my knees and raise an eyebrow at the alarm. The others seem to have woken up as well as me at this point.

"Whatever might that be?" The Professor questions at our pilot.

Don Paolo chuckles nervously. "Hahaha, well, we seem to be…um…out of gas…"

"Out of _WHAT?_ " I snap. "But you said that 'this baby is built to survive _anything! _'"__

____

"Haha, well, I meant all the hazards and stuff. Every machine needs fuel, y'know."

__

"And where do you think we'd get this fuel? From _fairyland?_ "

__

"Clive, calm yourself" The Professor instructs with a cold stare. I decide to shut up.

__

"Thank you, Layton. I don't need anyone else getting on my nerves in my life," Don Paolo glares at me and I roll my eyes. "Anyway, on this trusty Satellite Navigation System, I can tell you that we're not far from the main city of London. If we go back there, we can-"

__

"Are you kidding me?" It is Emmy's turn to shout at the poor Don Paolo. "There will be thousands of zombies crawling all over the place! We'll get eaten in an instant!"

__

"I know that, dear girl. But if we land far away from around the Thames, where most zombies would likely be, we could get to a gas station, fill this thing up and leave again without a problem. Sound good?"

__

"So wait, does this thing run on gasoli-"Luke pipes up but gets interrupted by Don Paolo, who quietens the young boy.

__

The beeping from the alarm gradually grows louder, indicating its thirst for fuel. Don Paolo flies for a little while, and then swerves down. We brace ourselves for an uncomfortable landing. The whooshing from the helicopter almost blows the nearby trees away. The whirring propellers slowly grind to a halt above us and we hop out. Don Paolo is last to climb out of the interior, and he drags along a long trailing pipe, presumably for the petrol to reach the helicopter which is parked not far outside the deserted gas station.

__

As Don Paolo fills his helicopter up with the Professor helping, Emmy, Luke, Flora and I stand around behind the gas tanks. I brush off my dirty clothes, and notice the foul stench they give off. I wrinkle my nose in disgust. It seems that the others don't notice as their clothes smell as well as mine. We are all a state. Luke and Flora are having a small conversation to themselves, mostly consisting of mumblings and small, sad smiles. Everything we know and love has been destroyed in a period of a day.

__

A dim light hangs over our heads. The wind causes it to swing slightly. No one says anything.

__

"So…" Luke attempts to fill the awkward silence.

__

We all look at him and nod once, then go back to staring at the darkened sky or stare at whatever uninteresting object there is to be stared at. Thankfully, the Professor pokes his head around the tanks with a half-smile.

__

"Ok, it's finished. We should have enough fuel to last us until we get to France for another gas refill."

__

We nod and then scamper back to the helicopter. The Professor stops me mid-run and holds me by the shoulders.

__

"Clive, do you think you can put this in the till? I know it won't be much use to anyone now, but I can't help but not feel like a gentleman if we leave without paying" He hands me a twenty-pound note and leaves.

__

I roll my eyes. Damn that Professor and his gentleman mantras. This money can be used as survival money or whatever. I turn away, concealing my frustration, leaving it all down to karma to strike us.

__

I push open the glass doors of the kiosk and slowly step inside.

__

"H-hello?" I croak. My voice trembles.

__

My heart pounds faster in my chest when there is no answer. I bend my head around the door in the direction of the till. Thankfully, there is a person standing behind it. I breathe a relieved sigh and shut the door, unaware of the bag that had fallen down behind me to block my way out. I cautiously edge my way towards the person, hand holding the money extended. With each step I take, my breathing grows heavier as the person, head down, doesn't respond.

__

I hold the money out to the man. He doesn't acknowledge the fact that I'm standing right in front of him.

__

"E-excuse me?"

__

My arm begins to shake in uncontrollable fear. Was the man dead? I decide to try and find out. My finger slowly reaches his shoulder. With a deep breath, I sharply jut it forward to poke him. His head snaps up.

__

"Oh good, I thought you were-!" My relieved expression drops into one of shock and terror.

__

The man wasn't alive. But he wasn't dead either. I should have guessed it before, the odour, the distorted face, the drool seeping from his purple lips…the man that stands before me is a zombie. A zombie ready to attack. I let out a surprise yelp as he leaps over the desk and lunges for me. I scurry down to the door only to notice that I can't open it. Something is blocking it. My eyes widen as I remember the bag that had fallen down behind me a few moments ago. _Crap!_ , I yell in my head as I bounce on my toes, trying to think of a way out. The zombie isn't far behind as he slowly ambles in my direction, arms out in front of him. He moans for me.

__

"Nnngh!" I grit my teeth as I think fast. Something springs to mind suddenly. It was a dangerous idea, but what the hell?

__

I step back into the aisle a metre or three, take a deep breath, and then I sprint forward. About an inch away from the glass (and the zombie), I dive through the door, shards of glass flying everywhere and cutting my skin. I wince as my body cracks against the hard asphalt underneath me and blood trickles down my legs. The force of the glass explosion knocks the zombie to the ground behind me. My clothes are ripped and my body is scarred with scars and bruises. _Better than turning into one of them,_ I tell myself.

__

Then I realise the impact of the shattering glass has had not only an effect on me, but to the others as well. A good ten zombies have crowded around all of us, prohibiting the rest of the group to come over and stand with me as they are too busy fighting. The zombies have blocked off the path to the helicopter. The fire in my body burns as I hold back a cry of pain. The zombies were attracted here because of my foolish actions. I am the one that started this, and now I am the one to end it. I close my eyes…until I sense an object beside me. I look over to see a lighter. My mouth curls into a sly smirk. I pick myself up and stagger over to the gasoline tanks, ignoring the burning sensation. I put down the lighter and break off a loose metal pole from the pumps. I draw a deep breath.

__

With all my might, I swing the metal pole into the gasoline tanks and watch as the liquid floods out onto the floor. It is now or never.

__

"GUYS, RUN!" I scream over my shoulder.

__

I don't hesitate to pick the lighter up and flick it on. Then…I hurled it at the gasoline. Time slows down at that moment. I run as fast as I can, my shoes clacking against the stone as the lighter was in the air, slowly falling towards the liquid. The zombies follow my every move as they try and block my way to the others. But I don't care about the zombies any more. All I care about is getting away from the impact. The seconds ticked down slowly and my thundering heart is all I hear.

__

And then… BAM.

__

The explosion blows up the entire kiosk and the gas station, along with every zombie. The flames chase after me as I speed away from there. The others are running away as well, and I realise that the explosion will destroy everything in its path, including Don Paolo's helicopter. How are we supposed to get away now? With one final jump, I leap over to the others and run with them. My energy is wearing away. The Professor suddenly halts, seemingly unaware of the explosion behind us.

__

"Professor?" Luke demands, jogging.

__

"I need to stay here for a bit! Go ahead without me! I have an idea!" The Professor orders.

__

"Are you kidding me?" Emmy shouts back. "You'll die!"

__

Time stops for a moment. "I promise I'll catch up to you."

__

"Promise?" Flora called out.

__

The Professor nods with a small smile. That is enough for me to take her by the hand and run away with her. We all scurry away. A few seconds later, I turn my head around behind me to see that the Professor has disappeared, and in his place, a thousand hungry flames.

__

* * *

__

"Are you happy now?"

__

I crane my neck in Emmy's direction. She glares at me with a piercing expression filled with hatred. Her puffy crimson eyes indicate that she has been crying.

__

"Why should I be happy?" I almost whisper.

__

Emmy scoffs. "The Professor's dead, our transport has gone and we're all tired and hungry because of you."

__

I sigh. "Would a ninety-ninth apology make any difference?" I mutter.

__

"You can apologize a thousand times and I still won't forgive you!" Emmy furrows her eyebrows and hides her face in her knees.

__

None of us have got over the Professor's death. We are sitting in the middle of the road about half a mile away from the exploded gas station with no worry about cars or anything like that. All cars and people are in the main city of London, directed by safety advisors on how to survive.

__

"H-he promised…" Flora whispers, her voice shaking.

__

Luke doesn't say anything; he just maintains a distant stare. I don't really understand what I did wrong today, it wasn't my fault. I was instructed to give a note to the till, and from then on I was only defending myself. If I hadn't caused the explosion, we'd all be dead now. I sigh and look up to the sky. What would the Professor do to calm down his group if he were here? Reasoning doesn't work. What other option do I have…?

__

A rustle in the trees snaps me out of my train of thought. I blink and shoot up. It seems that the others have been brought to their attention as well. It can't be another zombie…it just can't be. We have destroyed them all in the area. I grab a twig from the ground just in case and spring to alert.

__

"Who's there?" I call clearly, my voice slicing through the silence that hung in the crisp night air.

__

Suddenly, a revving of an engine and the cracking of branches echo in our ears. Before we can react, a familiar sight jumps out of the trees.

__

The infamous, tall-roofed red car stands in front of us, and hanging out its window, is Professor Layton himself.

__

"I do hope you all didn't forget about me" He winks.

__

"PROFESSOR?" Emmy yells.

__

"Wh-what?" Don Paolo stutters. "Th-that's not possible! How did you…?"

__

The Professor opens the car door and steps closer to us. "It didn't take me long to realise Clive's plan when he picked up the metal pole back at the gas station. I thought ahead of the game. I recognized the gas station, and I remembered that the Laytonmobile was at a repair shop nearby. I took the time to take a shortcut through the woods to the repair shop, grab the Laytonmobile and find you all. After all, a gentleman never breaks a promise."

__

Luke and Flora instantly leap over to their fatherly figure and wrap their arms around him. The Professor chuckles at them and then glances over at me.

__

"Thank you, Clive."

__

I return his smile. "The pleasure's all mine, Professor."

__

"So now what?" Don Paolo's gruff voice interrupts the heartfelt moment. "My beloved girl has blown up," He glares at me coldly. "And now we have nowhere to go."

__

"We have a car" Emmy reminds him, nudging her head in the direction of the Laytonmobile.

__

" _I know that._ But with a car, we can only stick to the roads. And the roads leading to safe places are all taken up by scared people. To escape, it could take days."

__

"Well then, we'd just have to take a shortcut" The Professor nods.

__

"A _shortcut?_ " Don Paolo raises his voice. "Surely, if there would be a shortcut, the authorities would have figured it out already!"

__

The Professor is silent for a moment as he ponders his options. "Well, then. It'll be a puzzle…and as you all know…every puzzle has an answer."

__


	5. Realization

_POV: Flora_

"So is THIS your idea of a shortcut, Layton?" Don Paolo spits rudely, folding his arms over and hunching his back.

We are chugging along, slowly, in the Laytonmobile. We are also in the line for the airport, where there are planes ready to take members of society elsewhere in the world to survive. There are six people crowded in one tight space, with the Professor driving, Luke and I in the front seat and Emmy, Don Paolo and Clive at the back. Luke and I were, at first, quite unhappy with the decision that we'd be so close together but now I realise it's not that bad sitting with your adoptive brother at all. Anyway, we are in the everlasting, non-moving line for the airport. Officers say that it'll take at least a week to get to the airport, which I of course loathe the idea of not eating or bathing for a week with five other people who haven't done the same. I don't say that out loud though.

"Well I guess I need to look at the maps a little bit more…" The Professor admitted, nodding his head once.

_"You think?"_

An awkward silence is in the air as nobody says a word. I ponder my life over. It's all gone so well until recently. I had finally found the perfect guardian, went on adventures with him and his apprentice (although they did happen to leave me most of the time) and often made new friends. Now that this has happened, my happy life will never be the same. None of our lives will be the same. I recline in my chair, brushing against Luke's body ever so slightly. He doesn't care like he normally would; he just stares outside and admires the sun. By the looks of it, it is probably around eight or nine o clock in the morning right now. Light, fluffy clouds in the sky remind me of my past happiness.

"Well, Professor, what do you suppose we do for the entire week? We need to entertain ourselves in some way, don't we?" Emmy suggests, her head poking through the gap between mine and the Professor's seats.

"Ah yes, of course. Hmm…" The Professor raises a hand to his chin and strokes it in thought. "Oh! I remember something!"

He reaches under the seat and slides a rectangular-looking cased object out. He sets it on his lap and undoes the zip, pulling a large electronic device out.

"That's a television!" Emmy exclaims with a raised eyebrow.

The Professor turns to Luke with a small smile. "Luke my boy, remember when you complained about our long car journeys and that you had nothing to do? I forgot to tell you I had got this!"

"Woah! That is so cool! Thanks Professor!" Luke beams, takes the television and stands up, clipping it onto the roof of the Laytonmobile where everyone can see.

Is there even a signal? The television flickers on and suddenly channel one appears. I'm surprised the television studio is still working during this disaster. No other channels work, so our eyes are glued to the flashing images displayed on the screen of the news. We listen carefully as Luke turns up the volume.

"And we are back with BBC News, notifying everyone at home what is happening in the world with this disastrous pandemic," The news reporter says, sitting at her desk. "To the people watching at home, please, we warn you, do not go outside under any circumstances. Anyway, for drivers, the expected arrival dates into Gatwick Airport are: London, approximately one week. Reading, approximately…"

"Great, so now it's confirmed" Don Paolo rolls his eyes and slumps in his seat. Clive shushes him.

"We have breaking news from ten Downing Street. The Prime Minister Bill Hawks has been trapped inside his house by a hoard of infected humans whilst officials calm him down. We go over to Amelia now, who is presenting live coverage of this disaster."

"Thank you, Karen," A brown-haired woman, presumably named Amelia, says, signalling for the camera to follow her into the house. "As you can see, I am currently standing inside Number Ten Downing Street with no escape. There is apparently about one or two minutes until the beings manage to break in. If I run up these stairs and open the doors to the Prime Minister's office, we can see Bill Hawks, our fearless leader, actually scared for the first time," Amelia pushes past the supervisors to get to the man himself and shoves the microphone in his face. "Mister Prime Minister, are there any last words before the impact?"

The camera focuses on the face of Bill Hawks, which is trying to be neutral but failing as the fear in his eyes is clearly visible. "Citizens of this fine country; it has been an honour being the last Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and I wish you all luck in surviving this deadly pandemic. Unfortunately this will be the last you ever hear from me, so please, remember my role as the Prime Minister if you do manage to escape. As for me, I…I…"

He stutters in fear as a distinguishable groaning emits from behind the camera. The zombies are getting near. Everyone backs into the back wall of the office as the undead slowly stagger towards them all. I start to shiver watching it all happen.

"Viewers, please stay calm. If young children are watching this, it would be wise to turn their heads away now," Amelia instructs, yet neither Luke nor I turn our heads. "This Amelia Norton, reporting live the last time from Ten Downing Street where we are currently witnessing the Prime Minister's death. Please stay tuned for more live updates and-"There is a feminine scream as a zombie creeps up behind Amelia and rips her head off. Her blood squirts everywhere as her headless body drops to the floor. I hear everyone silently gasp.

The camera shakes roughly and obscures the scene. Screams and shrieks of terror echo inside the office as suddenly the headless body of Amelia rises up and joins the army of zombies, arms extended and reaching for human blood. I recognize a short, stumpy man as Bill Hawks who rushes near to the camera in hope of a hiding position. It fails miserably. A zombie finally bites into his arm, causing the man to cry out in pain as blood gushes out of the wound, and then the camera flickers out. Luke slowly turns the TV off with a horrified expression.

"…I wish we never had seen that…" His voice trembles as his hand drapes by his side.

"The Prime Minister's dead…holy shit…" Emmy curses to herself. "…Now he's one of those things…!"

The Professor is too shocked to even lecture Emmy about her poor language. His mouth forms a perfect 'o' as he remains in the same position for three minutes. I look over my shoulder and see Clive maintaining a calm, cold face. I suppose he doesn't feel any sympathy for Bill, seeing that he was the man that killed his parents. Clive looks away, his face pensive and vacant. I can see him biting his bottom lip slightly.

"…So what are we going to do about travel plans?" Don Paolo tries to change the subject, his voice quieter than usual.

"Yeah, that's a good point…" Luke agrees.

"I say we go by foot!" Emmy suggests, placing a hand on a hip.

"Emmy dear, that would pose great danger to us all!" The Professor protests, finally snapping out of his trance.

"It's hell of a better then sitting in this thing for a week!" Emmy ignores all warning and jumps over Clive, pushes the door open and hops out of the car. "Anyone coming with?"

"Emmy, this idea of yours is preposterous!"

"Who cares? We need to _survive_ , Professor, and sitting in this car with no resources whatsoever is not the way to go!"

"I second the girl's idea!" Don Paolo exclaims, getting out of the car himself.

"Emmy, what are you doing? Get back in here at once!" The Professor snaps. This is the first time I've ever heard him do that.

"Actually…" Clive mutters in monotone. "…I prefer Emmy's method of survival."

Emmy pulls him out of the car with a wide grin. The Professor tries to suppress his anger. "I can't let you three do this!"

"We know what we're doing, Professor" Emmy tells him.

The Professor ponders for a moment and then sighs in defeat. "Alright. I'll let you three go, and we can split up. I'll take Luke and Flora with me by car to the airport and you can go by foot. Meet us there at the airport if you can."

Emmy bends down to the open window of the Laytonmobile on the Professor's side. "Thank you, Professor. See you there. And if we don't…" She leans forward and places a soft kiss on the Professor's cheek.

"Something to remember me by," Emmy winks, standing up with the others. "You look after yourself. You too, Apprentice Number Two and Flora."

The Professor lightly touches his cheek and nods, furiously blushing. I giggle quietly. The three run off suddenly, and I suddenly feel this strange sense of longing at the bottom of my heart. Longing…and worry. Are they going to be alright on their own?

"I guess it's just us" Luke observes, looking down at his feet as if they were the most interesting things in the world.

He's right. Just…us. How are things going to turn out this way?


	6. Reflecting

_POV: Emmy_

I'm beginning to think that maybe going a different route was actually a bad idea after all. Without a map, the three of us will probably get lost in London and wander to Bristol like that. We have a week in the city to reach the airport. The three of us walk together at a slow pace. My weapon is tucked into a tight strap on my back, ready so I can stand for surprise attacks. The street we are walking through now is fairly deserted, the swirling wind being our only company if not the crackling of litter and the creaking of gates swaying. Our footsteps are clearly heard as they clack against the concrete. We need not to worry about cars or moving vehicles on the road for obvious reasons. I look to the sky, the sun blazing in both of my eyes. Why must this happen to us? The world's falling apart before our eyes. My siblings and family are all presumably dead and there's nothing I can do about it apart from keep myself alive for them. I let out a heavy sigh and turn to Clive.

"So do you know how to get to this Gatwick Airport, then?" I inquire and he shakes his head sadly.

"I can't say that I do. But there must be a way of finding it! For instance, a map of the underground or something…" He answers and my eyes widen.

"Clive, that's a great idea! We just need to find a map of the underground and then see which lines go to Gatwick. It would be a bad idea to take the train, so we could use the map to determine whether we go north or south, correct?" I suggest, raising an eyebrow and flicking my finger up and down to illustrate my point.

Don Paolo nods slightly. "I see where you're coming from, Altava. I don't see any other way we could do this, so let's go!"

It doesn't take us long to find a map of the underground. In fact, there are thousands of them littered around in these London streets so the task isn't that challenging at all. We pick one up and examine it closely. After a while, I say, "Crap, London Gatwick's not even on here!"

"…Oh. Well then, that's not going to be any use to us" Clive throws the leaflet over his shoulder and it flutters away in the wind.

There is another one of those damn awkward silences. Nobody knows what to do or how to get to our destination. We're screwed. Don Paolo decides to speak.

"Hey, wait. What if we just keep the line to Gatwick Airport in sight but follow it without actually going on it? We remember the way back, right?"

I grin. "Don Paolo, that's actually an awesome idea! We can just follow the line to end up at our destination! Damn, why didn't I think of that?"

Clive says nothing and follows us back to the line. We push past the authorities and run on the pavement of Tower Bridge as fast as we can, following the line over it to Gatwick Airport. Passengers stuck in this jam stare at us as we shoot past them. I'm sure that we even run past the Laytonmobile at one stage, but we are going too fast to notice familiar faces. We sprint to the end of Tower Bridge, breathing heavily and then we split off from the line, but not too far as we can still see it in the distance. We take a moment to breathe. I bend over, my hands supporting my weight as I latch them onto my knees and gather oxygen. My throat burns in thirst, but I know that I can't give up now. I prefer to think of this little journey as a race to see who can get to Gatwick first, our team or the Professor's. Obviously it will be mine.

"Let's just walk the rest of the way" Don Paolo says between deep breaths.

I decide to agree for once; this would be quite tiring of course if we just ran the entire distance. So we walk. The sun is now over our heads, letting us know that it should be approximately midday right now. I don't know how such a happy weather could occur in such a sad circumstance, especially in this country.

We continue on the line until things start to get eerily quiet. Something moves behind us. I spring to alert and so does Clive.

"Anyone there?" I call out.

As if on cue, behind a few trees, at least five zombies step out and trudge for us. I sigh and extend my weapon, spinning around and slicing two of their heads off with the blade. Clive ducks down, kicks his leg out and swipes them off their feet, leaving me to pierce their hearts with my weapon. I stand up and dust my hands off.

"That was easy" I comment, sliding the weapon into the strap and folding my arms proudly.

"Wow…how did you guys clean up five zombies so fast?" Don Paolo asks with his head cocked in interest.

"Practice" I answer with a playful smile at Clive.

"And teamwork" He adds.

"Anyway, now that that's done…" I point a finger out in front of me dramatically. "Let's go to Gatwick Airport!"

* * *

"…This isn't happening…"

"I was sure my plan was foolproof!"

"Yeah, but it obviously _wasn't!_ "

We are stuck at a dead end, completely out of sight of the line for Gatwick Airport. A large, dull brick wall stands in front of us and we have no idea but to stare at it. Well this is great. We lost the line a while back and now we are stuck. Damn.

"So what now, genius?" I ask Don Paolo sarcastically, arms crossed with an expectant glare.

"I would say we retrace our steps but," He looks over his shoulder to see a complicated pattern of terraces and junctions. "It appears we can't do that…"

"I guess the only option now is to follow our instincts and just hope that we end up at Gatwick" Clive shrugs.

I nod a little and sigh in defeat. I guess that Clive's way is indeed our only option in this circumstance. I begin to step forward before a hand touches my shoulder roughly. I spin around.

"What do you want now?" I spit at Don Paolo.

"Alright, alright, no need to get rude with me Altava. What I mean is we need food and clothes. We're surrounded by houses. Do you see how I'm linking the two…?"

Clive gasps a little. "But Don Paolo, that's stealing! That's a crime!"

"Tch! Says the guy who tried to destroy the whole of London!" Don Paolo retorts, his nose high in the air. Clive looks to the floor.

"Anyway…" I change the subject. "Like Clive said, it's a crime, yes. But who's going to arrest us for trying to survive? Half the population of the world are probably dead now. There probably won't be anyone in any of these houses anyway!"

So we burst into a random house. We hear the distinguishable static of the television in the living room. After a long check of all the rooms, we conclude that the coast is clear and this house is good. Clive and I are currently plopped onto the sofa, Don Paolo making some food. We all are incredibly hungry and thirsty, dirty as well. After we eat, I'll prepare a bath.

"Be sure to be quiet, or else a passing zombie might wander into the house, attracted to the noise or whatever" I tell Clive, bringing a single finger to my lips. "By the way, sorry for being so cold to you earlier."

"It's no problem, don't worry…" He nods and tucks his knees into his chest. "…Hey Emmy…do you like the Professor?"

"Yeah, of course! I'm his number one assistant!" I boast, sticking my chest out proudly.

"No, I mean…y'know, the other _like._ "

I realise what Clive's saying at that point. "Oh. Um…well I really can't answer that. We're great friends, but…"

Clive looks up at me with a grin. "You kissed him earlier. Come on, Emmy, you like him…"

I start to blush and I jump away from the teasing man. "N-no! I don't! I just- I wanted to- I was- Nnn…!"

Clive chuckles and leans back in his seat, his taunting face suddenly returned to his normal, pensive and pain-filled one. He hugs himself and stares at the ceiling, the atmosphere suddenly becoming seriously uncomfortable. "So...I…I was wondering…"

"Yeah?"

"…If I…" He leans closer to me. "If I could-"

"Grub's up!" Don Paolo calls from the kitchen and we both spring off the sofa, pretending our conversation never happened.

We eat some cheese sandwiches and biscuits, along with a few glasses of water and a cup of tea. The warm liquid tickles my throat as it trickles down and I enjoy the soothing sensation. It seems like forever since I last relaxed like this. I let out a content sigh, resting my head on my hands. Don Paolo finishes his tea with one last gulp. After finishing my meal, I decide to run a bath. I offer for Don Paolo or Clive to go first, but they decline. I nod and then skip off to the bathroom.

* * *

Grabbing a towel, I tie it above my bust and run down the stairs, water dripping behind me from my drenched curly hair.

"Shower's free" I notify the guys, leaning against the doorway.

The two of them don't say anything and I realise that both of their eyes are looking at a particular part of my body. I pick up a shoe, belonging to whoever owns this house, and fling it at them, purposely missing.

"Don't stare; it's unbecoming of a gentleman!" I shake my index finger at them with a 'tut tut'.

"Perverts" I mutter under my breath, venturing to any room with a wardrobe I can get some clothes from.

Judging by the amount of rooms and the decoration in them, this was a family household. I wonder where the family are now. Probably dead. That thought makes me shudder; I can't imagine a little child becoming one of those things. Children deserve to live. I pull open the closet doors to admire the selection of clothing they have in store here. One side of the closet has female clothing (presumably the mum's) and the other has male clothing (presumably the dad's). I examine the female clothing carefully, picking out a few that tickles my fancy and that are appropriate for our situation.

After a long and hard decision of what clothes to wear, I finally put on one outfit- A small black miniskirt, red tank top, thigh-length black leather boots and red hair bands to tie my hair into a high ponytail. I find some black fingerless gloves lying around the house as well. Everything is washed. It was all good. I tie the strap around me and slide my weapon (a sharp blade attached onto the body of a mop) into it.

Going down the stairs again, I realise that Clive is the only one sitting at the table and that Don Paolo's clothes are in the washing machine. I sit down to accompany Clive and he eyes me up and down.

"Nice choice of clothing" He compliments, hiding a cheeky grin.

"Thanks. Don't start thinking any dirty thoughts, naughty boy," I laugh, dusting myself off and tightening my gloves."Why is Don Paolo washing his old clothes?"

"He refuses to wear anything else" Clive snickers. "I tried to talk him out of it."

I nod my head and catch my breath. "Hey Clive…what were you trying to say before?"

"Before what?"

"Before Don Paolo called us over to eat."

Clive hesitates and plays with his hands, drumming them on the table anxiously. "Well… anyway… I was wondering, back then, if I could…"

I beckon him to go on further.

He sighs. "I wanted to know if we could stick together throughout this whole thing. I'm actually quite frightened of the future, and if I die soon, I want to spend my last moments with my one of my great friends."

I smile warmly at him. Clive might act like a tough man, but inside, I can see that he's slowly falling to pieces.

"Nothing would make me happier."

We spend a moment of silence staring into each other's eyes, smiling at the same time. I can feel myself slowly leaning over the table, ever so slightly…

"CLIVE, SHOWER!" Don Paolo yells from upstairs, shaking the house with his voice and breaking us apart.

"Haha…well I'm glad you said yes" Said man beams before getting up and running to the bathroom.

I smile even after he's gone. Something tells me that this zombie apocalypse won't be so bad after all, not when I'll spend it with my greatest friends.

* * *

"Well that's us done" I mention, standing near the front door.

Clive and Don Paolo stand opposite me, ready to go. Don Paolo is wearing his usual attire whilst Clive is wearing black skinny jeans, black fingerless gloves as well and an oversized white t-shirt. I can tell he isn't happy with this clothing choice. The dad of the house must have been quite large.

"What are we waiting for? The clock back in the kitchen reads more or less, around three o clock so we have ages to go" Don Paolo smirks and opens the door.

We step out, say our goodbyes to the house and begin our long journey to Gatwick from here. Don Paolo has thankfully remembered to pick up a map and a watch he found from inside the house so he can help us find our way and tell the time.

It is at least an hour later. We have been walking for a year, or at least it feels like that. My steady pace has turned into more of a stagger than anything else, and I drape down onto the pavement. I'm so tired I could sleep for days. I request if we can rest for a little while and a puffed-out Don Paolo agrees, sitting next to me. Clive pulls out the map and looks at it, observing our surroundings.

"It appears that we're now around Brixton" He says before Don Paolo's head snaps up.

"Brixton?" He asks quickly.

"Yes…"

"My place is around here!" Don Paolo gets giddy and jumps to his feet. "Yes, I remember this street! My place is not too far from here!"

Clive and I exchange confused glances and decide to follow Don Paolo to his house. He skips most of the way and it is hard for us to catch up. Finally, we reach a fairly-normal looking house. Funny, I would have thought Don Paolo would have chosen a far more eccentric place than this.

"Come, come!" He beckons us to come with him into his garage. He shoves it open.

"Now you see- THIS is where the magic happens…"

Inside the garage, there are blueprints littered everywhere, materials and metals scattered here and there and a few objects lying around. There is a work desk to the right of us. We all go inside. It appears as if all Don Paolo's projects are thought up and created in this humble garage. I hold in a chuckle.

"Look," Don Paolo begins, stepping beside a large curtain hiding something behind it. "Behind here is my ultimate creation…" He pulls on the cord and the curtain falls down onto the stone floor.

Behind it stands a huge vehicle with wings on each side. A large pole sits on top of the vehicle. Its wheels are round and rough. I am truly amazed. Don Paolo made this from scratch? It must have taken him years!

"Behold, the lovely Christina!" Don Paolo announces, extending his arms dramatically to show the vehicle.

"…You name your cars?" Clive asks.

"No, not all- Well yes, but- _Oh just stop talking and MARVEL!_ Anyway, Christina here is a project I've been working on for two whole years! I've had pet projects, yes, but she is the one I've been most proud of! Her wheels are built to manage solid and liquid terrain, PLUS it can fly!"

I nod, impressed. This is perfect! We can get to Gatwick Airport now without problem, and we don't need to even get a plane with this vehicle! I swagger up to it and lightly tap 'Christina's' surface. It sounds hollow inside.

"So, Don, can you really drive this thing?" I want to know as I lean against the vehicle.

"W…well…I can't drive…" He replies almost silently and mutters the last part.

"What was that?" Clive inquires, bending over to examine 'Christina's' features.

"I CAN'T DRIVE, OKAY?" Don Paolo snaps.

I raise an eyebrow and my lip curls up. "What? But you were able to drive your flying machine…?"

"Yes, but that's the only vehicle I've ever driven! My inventions' driving system is much simpler than the cars today, and I've adjusted to using that…" He explains, turning away. I'm confused.

"So wait, why can't you drive this? This IS your invention…this is your invention right?" I tilt my head in interest.

"Yes, it is. I decided to try something new this time, because I hoped that, back then, I'd have learned how to drive by now!"

Clive slaps his face and hides his eyes with his fingers. "My god…" He utters under his breath.

"Alright, alright, I can drive, I'll do it" I hold my hands up beside my head and then I get in the car, tumbling into the drivers' seat.

"Ah, well, Clive…I only included two seats in the original design" Don Paolo mentions to Clive with a guilty smile.

Clive smirks. "It's alright…" He purrs. "I wasn't going to be sitting in a seat anyway…"

Don Paolo tries to decipher what Clive means by his words, but in the end he gives up. He climbs into the large vehicle and sits down into the seat next to the drivers'. Finally, Clive joins us by jumping into the empty space behind us. He grabs the pole and pulls himself up through the opening of Christina's ceiling and then stands up, gripping the pole firmly.

"Are you going to be alright up there?" Don Paolo calls to the determined Clive.

"Of course!" He yells back. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Ok then! Let's go!" I shout, firing up the ignition and setting Christina into the right gear.

Don Paolo sticks his head out of the window and presses a button to close the garage after I drive out of there slowly. After a minute of gathering my thoughts, I finally come to my senses and start to drive at normal speed, around thirty-seven miles per hour. The journey is a little bit rickety, what with the new vehicle and all, but I manage to drive well. There are no other cars to avoid, so why go slow?

"How are you doing up there?" Don Paolo asks Clive overhead.

"Not too bad, thanks! It's a little bit windy though, what with this stupid large-sized shirt…!"

"Take it off then!" I yell jokingly, but Clive actually does take his shirt off and throws it down behind us.

"Thanks for the idea, Emmy!"

"…No problem!"

There is no doubt that Don Paolo, Clive and I would reach Gatwick before the others. But at this point, I worry. How long will we be waiting there for them? One whole week…? They would find their way out of this, for sure!

The Layton I know would find his way out of this, anyway.


	7. Reunited

_POV: Layton_

With a beep of the horn, I try to hold in a growl of frustration. It is around five to six pm right now, according to the sun. Flora has moved to the back seats now that they're empty, leaving Luke some breathing room in the seat next to mine. No one has said anything since the three went. It is incredibly awkward in this car, and for once I can't even lighten the mood by giving the children a puzzle to solve. These little puzzles in life are over for me now. The only puzzle that has replaced the others is survival. It's a puzzle that is yet to be answered.

I can't help but feel extremely worried for Emmy, Clive and Paul. What are they doing? Where are they now? Will they ever show up? Will they die? Floods of questions swim through my brain as my heart beats faster in concern. And that kiss…I haven't been kissed that softly ever since Claire…if only Claire were here now, she could help us. Help _me._ What about the children? Luke and Flora, they're only children, so why did this have to happen to them?

We are stuck on Tower Bridge, moving an inch every hour. There are just so many citizens to evacuate, despite the humans here that have already turned into those creatures. A day or so, I can understand, _but a week? _How many of these cars are there? Well, from what I gather it's normally an hour from here to Gatwick so the queue lasts _that_ long? I sigh, my hands resting upon the wheel. I place my heavy head onto the surface, my droopy eyes getting the better of me. All of us are so hungry, how can we last inside this humid prison any longer?__

____

My patience is growing thin. I adjust my chocolate top hat, trying not to lose the gentleman inside me. With a deep breath, I return to complete sanity with an unconvincing smile. I tell myself that this will be only a week. Just a week. But anything can happen within a week…anything… anything… I jump out of the car suddenly, slamming the door behind me. I bend through the open window.

__

"Come on, you two. We need to go by foot if we plan on surviving, just like the others have done," I instruct rather calmly, in contrast to the emotions burning deep inside me.

__

"But Professor-"Luke begins, raising a hand to unbuckle his seatbelt.

__

"No buts, my boy. I'm afraid we can't survive any other way. It is highly unbecoming of a gentleman to abandon his great car…," I place a hand on my beloved Laytonmobile. "…But this is the only way. Come now."

__

Luckily, there are no cars behind me that my Laytonmobile will obstruct the way of. Since we joined the queue so late, we happen to be the last one in the line, so it will be no problem to leave. But…somehow I just can't bring myself to part with the car I've grown so attached to throughout the years. It's been with us in all our investigations and it's almost part of our little family. I sigh and turn away from the Laytonmobile. A gentleman mustn't dawdle, especially when he's responsible for the lives of young children.

__

I pull open the Laytonmobile's back door, take the dainty hand of Flora and help her step out gracefully. I can sense that she is frightened too. Luke carries on in front, jogging confidently whilst Flora and I walk at a slow pace. I peer over my shoulder, whisper one last goodbye to the Laytonmobile, and then we disappear over the horizon. There are many shouts from the police that we can't leave our position, but we choose to ignore the warnings. It is no time for this. I have to do everything in my power to protect Luke and Flora, and although this isn't exactly the safest option, it's the only one that we need to take if we're keen on surviving any time soon. That's all we need to do now. Survive.

__

The sun is starting to set in the distance. It's the summer evening in England, and a rosy red hue sets over the country. I hope that we don't happen to encounter any of those creatures, as the three of us unfortunately are unaware as to how we defend ourselves. Luckily, most of the creatures are attracted to wherever humans are most likely to be, so we just have to stick to the path where humans aren't.

__

We do just that. We haven't come across a zombie for at least ten minutes. Finally, our prayers have been answered. I am so used to the bustle of the city, and just seeing it so empty almost breaks my heart. All the students I teach at Gressenheller…where are they now? Hopefully they have evacuated to some island to live their lives to the full. They shouldn't die. Well, I presume that at least half the world is probably dead right now having being turned into one of…them. Those creatures…how have they come to be? Are they the product of a failed scientific experiment? A virus? I am yet to find out. I need to find out anyway.

__

* * *

__

Luke, Flora and I are currently watching the sun set whilst sitting on a rusty bench. To think that we might have enjoyed this once before, not even a week ago. I let out a long, sad sigh and pull the rim of my top hat over my eyes solemnly.

__

"Professor?" Luke asks, noticing my negative actions.

__

I turn my head in his direction. "Yes, my boy?"

__

"…will any of this get better? When we survive, will things go back to normal?"

__

I manage a weak smile and nod slightly. "Well, my boy…we can just hope and pray for the best, hmm?"

__

But we both know that nothing will ever be normal again. I just don't have the heart to exclaim that boldly in front of the boy. We need all the optimism possible if we are planning on surviving in this world. Flora sits beside both of us, shaking in terror. Her face has been drained of colour as she presumably ponders the possible outcomes of losing to the creatures.

__

As if on cue, there is a moan in the distance. I shoot up, grabbing Flora's elegant hand. Luke crouches over in front of us as an act of defence. The audible guttural sounds that only emit from a creature's throat are to be heard behind us. We turn. There are at least five creatures standing there and ready to strike. I think fast on my toes and grab a thick wooden stick from the ground. I haul it at the creatures. My weapon hits one right in the face and it falls backward, stunned for the moment.

__

"RUN!" I shout, and already Luke has sprinted away.

__

Flora and I catch up with him soon, and we do not stop. We are getting out of breath from running about this much today, but we must not halt now. If we do, we might just become appetisers for the creatures or even the creatures themselves.

__

"Where are we going, Professor?!" Luke shrieks at the top of his voice as we scamper away as fast as our legs can carry us.

__

"Anywhere! Anywhere that hasn't any creatures!" I reply in the form of a yell, keeping my place behind the boy.

__

We run through twists and turns, through countless avenues and terraces. We are not as fast as we once were, but we are still in danger of our lives. We have wandered into a creature-infested area of London, and now those beings are going to make us pay for trespassing. There are thousands of them, thousands waiting to lash out on us and to kill their next human meal. We successfully dodge multiple grabs and scratches that the creatures attempt to give us.

__

We eventually escape their clutches and fly into a deserted street. Or so we think. The creatures turn the corner; they have been following us. The sun has disappeared over the horizon, and it is not long before the night sky falls overhead. Our only light source is hiding from us. All lampposts and streetlights have been shattered and smashed from the impact of crashed cars. I try to run further but it appears that we have reached a dead end.

__

There are far too many of those in this life, it seems.

__

Beyond the fence that we have backed into is the great River Thames herself. Our only option now is to jump into it, but that would merely result in a painful death of drowning. My head shakes from left to right. This cannot be happening…we cannot die here…! I glance at the creatures and then the river.

__

We are going to die either way.

__

I bring Luke and Flora close to me, hugging them to my chest. I blink back a tear. So this is how it's going to end… Nobody to save us this time.

__

"Professor, I'm scared…," Flora whimpers like a lost puppy and I softly kiss her forehead.

__

"It's been nice knowing you, Professor…," Luke's voice trembles as he tries not to panic, as he tries to live his last moments as a true gentleman.

__

"You too, Luke. I love you like a father would have ever loved his own son…," I hold in my breath, finally glad to have confessed that to him after so long.

__

I feel him nod in my arms.

__

"Yeah…I love you too, Professor…."

__

And with that, we all shut our eyes tight and accept our miserable fate. Soon…it's all over. The world turns black.

__

…or so we think.

__

"Professor!" Luke cries out and he points to something in the sky.

__

It appears to be a flying…car? I feel my mouth twitch into a slight smile. I know who it is in that car. I think he knows that I know very, very well. The small, brightly-lit car in the sky gradually becomes larger as it nears us. As it does, I notice something on top of the car. Luke squints as he tries to work out what it is.

__

"Is that…Clive? _TOPLESS?!_ " He almost screeches in the sight of the man.

__

It is indeed Clive, holding tightly onto what seems to be a pole. The creatures in front of us are ambling closer, and they are only a good six feet away from us now. I know that that won't be the case in a matter of minutes. If I listen closely over the humming of the flying machine, I can faintly hear Emmy and Don Paolo's conversation.

__

"Don, there's thousands of them!"

__

"Yeah, but how's that stopping us? LAND!" Don Paolo commands, shooting a finger out in front of him, and Emmy does so.

__

Clive crouches down as the airborne vehicle lurches forward, preparing for landing.

__

"I CAN'T FLY A DAMN PLANE, LET ALONE LAND ONE!" Emmy screams.

__

"IT'S NOT A PLANE, IT'S AN AUTOMOBILE!" Don Paolo screams back over Emmy's panicking. I smile at the use of the phrase I used sometime back.

__

Clive somehow remains calm, despite the possibility of him flying off the vehicle to a quick and terrible death. The car hurtles to the ground, touches down on the road sideways and spins around, knocking down and clearing the way of any creatures lingering around. There is an ear-piercing grinding noise as the friction between the tires and the road causes small fires to spark underneath the car. Luckily, it is nothing serious. The automobile suddenly jerks to a halt. Its passengers' faces are ashen with horror, but in the end, Emmy jumps up and celebrates, whooping and cheering. She occasionally grabs Don Paolo around the neck and shakes him in excitement.

__

Clive breathes out in relief, runs a weary hand through his thick spiky hair and leaps off the car roof. He does away with any nearby creatures by kicking, tripping and skillfully fighting them. I wasn't aware that the man was _that_ talented in self-defence! Emmy climbs out of the vehicle, slides her weapon out of the strap on her back and also begins to hack away at the creatures Clive left. I notice that the three of them have changed (excluding Don Paolo) and taken baths; I sense the clean aura about them.

__

Clive saunters over to the three of us and places a hand on his hip.

__

"We saw that you were in a slight predicament," He smirks and I nod.

__

"Thank you, all of you. Without your help, we'd all be gone now!"

__

Luke leaps up to Clive and suddenly throws his arms around the older man. Clive wraps his arms around Luke's body in a reassuring gesture.

__

"Is this little Luke's way of thanking his future self?" Clive teases and almost immediately, Luke springs apart from his counterpart.

__

"I thought that we had let that encounter _go,_ " The younger hisses, folding his arms and sticking his nose in the air.

__

Clive laughs, stands up from his crouching position and allows Emmy and Don Paolo to join us.

__

"Professor! Luke, Flora, it's good to see that you three are all alright!" Emmy exclaims, hugging us all together. We gasp for air in her tight grasp.

__

When she eventually lets go, Don Paolo huffs and snarls bitterly. "I don't know why I even bothered saving you, Layton. All you were gonna do was…" He mumbles the last part and I chuckle.

__

"You have my greatest thanks anyway, Don Paolo," I wink and smile warmly. He scoffs and turns away.

__

"I'm just glad the girl's okay" He mutters.

__

Flora smiles a little and blushes. I put one arm on her shoulder and gaze into her eyes. "I agree with Don Paolo."

__

After a long silence between all of us, Clive claps his hands together. "So what now?"

__

Don Paolo's head jerks up, as if he's just remembered something important. "Oh yes, I'm going to the airport to catch a plane," He glances over to the flying car. "I'll let you take care of Christina."

__

Christina?

__

"Are you serious?" Emmy wants to know. "You want us to leave you?"

__

"Well I can't stay with you forever, now. And plus, the girl won't be of use to me, but I don't want to abandon the poor thing. Would you be able to take care of her for me?" Don Paolo requests.

__

"Of course!" Emmy agrees, nodding her head. She turns to me. "Professor, change in plan. We're not going to Gatwick. We're flying with this thing now," She jerks her thumb in the direction of the car. "Hope you don't mind."

__

I shake my head and adjust my top hat. "No…not at all?" I am still a bit confused about the situation.

__

I'll ask Clive and Emmy to fill me in on the details later. Right now, the only thing on my mind is to get out of here with Luke and Flora. We begin our way back to the vehicle after saying our goodbyes to Don Paolo, Emmy carrying her spear-like weapon in one hand behind her. She seems to have one last request before I climb into the large car.

__

"Professor?" She asks quietly.

__

"Yes?"

__

"…can you drive this time?"

__


	8. New Companions

_POV: Clive_

Standing on top of a flying vehicle with the danger of falling off isn't so bad when you know how to control yourself. As long as you hold onto the pole beside you, that is.

It is now around ten a clock at night. I am no longer standing, just sitting with my legs dangling into the large hole. I try not to disturb Luke and Flora, who are currently in a deep slumber at the back of the car. They lean against the cold metal wall that would probably protrude into their backs, but they are too exhausted to care. Emmy and I have already explained to them all what happened when she, Don Paolo and I were on our way to Gatwick on our own, and the Professor has decided that they shall get some food and a fresh change of clothes in the morning.

The vibrating of the wings on either side of the car acts as a lullaby to soothe us to sleep. My eyelids are terribly heavy but I just can't seem to go under. The Professor is still awake, as he is the one flying the car, but everyone else seems to be asleep. I sit up straight, my hands supporting my back behind me.

"Professor?" I call quietly.

He doesn't turn his head, "Yes, Clive?"

I kick my legs a little and watch as they sway in mid air. "Nothing…it's just…I'm glad you're alright."

The Professor's head turns right slightly. "And you too, Clive."

I wear a small smile and then decide to look over the city of London. The destroyed buildings have only started to be rebuilt… and then this happened, completely halting the process. But what destroyed them in the first place? The answer to the question is too painful to even think about. My fists clench at the thought of that wretched mobile fortress…MY wretched mobile fortress. But I know that the cause of mass murder is not entirely the machine's fault. It's the man who's driving its' fault. That man just happened to be… I sigh in thought of that. They were supposed to kill me. They considered that, back in the prison. They gave me one chance to behave myself, and if I blew it, then I would get the death penalty. Dying is better than being locked up in captivity forever, I think.

Moving my head back in the direction of the Professor, I bite my lip to try and decide who did this to the world. How did it happen? Who would be insane enough to kill Planet Earth and her population? I just hope that this isn't the doing of a human. I yawn a little and slide myself into the interior of the vehicle, landing flat on my feet with a muted thud. Bending my head over and leaning against the machinery, I finally close my eyes and let myself drift off to a deep sleep…

* * *

The vehicle jerks to a halt. The sudden motion snaps me out of my dreams and positions me upright. I stretch and reach for my oversized t-shirt, slipping it over my head, a little bit cold from the temperature. Despite being mid-summer, the typical English weather has struck again and there is an icy breeze in the air that chills me to the bone. The fluffy clouds have covered up the sun until it completely disappears from view. Only then do I realise that it's currently morning right now. The Professor looks as if he's managed to catch some sleep, although the dark circles under his eyes are fairly noticeable.

Emmy's already awake and sitting on top of the stationary car. She loosely grips onto the pole even though there is no need. Luke and Flora have snuggled up to each other for warmth overnight and are still asleep. I resist the urge to coo at the adorable sight and haul myself on top of the car to join Emmy. There are no zombies around, the Professor luckily landed us in a deserted place today.

"Hey," Emmy greets me with a friendly grin.

"Hey."

"So…what brings you up here?"

"Well, to be honest, I just needed someone to talk to," I confess, shrugging my shoulders and flipping my fringe to the side.

She nods with a chuckle. Her eyes flicker down to my chest and then back up to my face. "I see you've adopted the t-shirt again. Too cold for topless Clive, eh?"

I laugh softly, tugging on the said item of clothing. "Actually, yes."

"Yes! Didn't I tell you how I'm great at assuming things?" Emmy wants to know, folding her arms over and her expression playfully smug.

"No?"

"…oh. Well, I know that you tried to dye your hair black once when you were in year eleven."

I clutch at my hair and look surprised. "What? How'd you know that?"

She smirks and taps her nose. "Told you. I just know these things."

I huff in frustration. This girl could know all my secrets, and I wouldn't know how she found them out! I'd pester her all the time until I finally found out where she gets these things from. Then I could use this information against her! Well, after we survive the apocalypse of course. I place my hands on top of one another and play with my fingers.

"Say, Clive?" Emmy begins and I look up to face her. "D'ya reckon we'll get through this thing? You know…alive?"

I give a fairly convincing nod. "Well, when we've got each other, of course!"

Emmy's sudden blush tells me that that sentence may have come out a tiny bit wrong. She hides her crimson cheeks from me and nervously chuckles.

"Ahaha, yeah, we've got each other…."

I've got to admit, the emotions and feelings of girls confuse me greatly. I decide to spare her the embarrassment however and move onto another subject.

A while later, Luke and Flora finally decide to wake up. When they do, they realise their sleeping positions and anxiously jump away from each other, hoping nobody saw them together. I feel too nice today to tease Luke about it anyway. The Professor notices them finally up and straightens his posture, adjusting his top hat.

"Good morning everyone," He nods, facing us all.

We all greet him in response.

"Well, now that we're all awake, we have to head over to another house to wash and change our clothes, hmm?" The Professor reminds us and we agree with him.

After climbing out of the tall car, Emmy rushes over to stand next to me. We walk together in silence until Luke points his finger out in front of him.

"Professor! Professor, look! There's a hotel over there!" He observes.

"So there is!" The Professor agrees. "A hotel is expected to have all supplies, so why not hide out there?"

"Professor…," Emmy warns. "Out of all the zombie movies I watch, I've learnt that nothing good comes out of a hotel…."

"We'll just have to be more careful then, won't we?"

We creep into the hotel, our footsteps echoing off the marble walls. It is, or was, rather a nice hotel actually. Hopefully everything we need will be in here somewhere. We are the only beings to be heard in the building; life in this area of London must be scarce. So why the posh hotel? We look around, admiring the beautiful displays and decorations.

Suddenly, the world stops.

"DUCK!" A manly voice shrieks from behind a potted plant and we obey, confused.

There is a gunshot, a moan and a splat. Black blood spurts from a zombie's heart onto the dirty cream walls. Flora trembles beside me as she nervously looks around. I try to peer over the potted plant to see what just happened, but there is no need, for the owner of the voice shoots up and clicks his gun.

"Sorry about that. You guys should really watch your backs," He comments, nodding.

This is a survivor. An actual survivor, living out here instead of escaping with the others…just like us. He looks in his mid-twenties to thirties, with messy brown hair tied in a small ponytail. He straightens his rectangular glasses with a cheeky smile.

"Welcome to the hotel, fellow humans. I'm Victor. Victor Edison," He takes a step forward to us and extends a hand out for the Professor to shake.

The Professor reluctantly shakes it, unaware of what just happened like the rest of us, and stiffens. "Professor Hershel Layton."

"A Professor, eh? Mm, you're among the smart bunch, isn't that right?" Victor laughs from his belly, taking his hand back. His eyes flicker between our frightened faces and his gun. "Oh no, I'm not here to hurt you! See, see, I'll put the gun down…," He carefully places the pistol down on the floor and holds his bare hands up beside his head. "All better?"

None of us say a word to this man. Instead of taking this offensively, Victor lets out another distinguishable whooping laugh and raises one hand to his mouth, facing the desk behind us.

"Dave? Jade? Lyssa? You can come out now! There's no one here to hurt you!"

Three timid faces meet ours as they slowly rise from behind the desk. Luke and Flora gasp as they face the other survivors.

"Dave!" Luke cries, and the preteen boy (who is a little on the chubby side) Dave, calls back Luke's name.

Flora runs over and wraps her arms around a girl that looks around her age. This girl looks as if she's from Chinese descent, with huge, round glasses that fit snugly on her small nose. She is still clothed in her school uniform.

"Jade!" Flora exclaims.

"Flora, I can't believe you're here! I thought you were dead!" The Chinese girl, Jade, tells her friend.

"Do you know these people?" Emmy looks confused, her question directed to Luke and Flora.

Luke nods aggressively. "Dave is in my class!"

"And Jade is in mine!" Flora pipes up.

"Ah, I get it, a school reunion…," I recite, chuckling to myself.

"Dude," The young boy eyes me up and down. "Stop being gay."

"E-excuse me?!" I try to hold in my shock. Me? _Gay?!_ "Now hold it right there, mister…!"

Luke stands in front of Dave, chuckling nervously. "Sorry Clive, Dave…ah…just _says_ things."

"Clive? You mean, Clive Dove? The crazy idiot who tried to destroy London?" Dave jumps back and glares at me.

That boy is _really_ getting on my nerves….

" _Stop that,_ " I hiss, clenching my fists, feeling my face grow hot with temper. "Now."

"Ooh, what are you going to do, stomp on me with your huge machine? Well, you haven't got that now, so-" Dave tests, being mock scared before the other teenager behind the desk grabs him by the collar and pushes him over.

"Dave, you idiot. Can't you see you're pissing the dude off?" She yells, sitting on the poor boy. She turns to me. "Excuse my little friend here. He thinks he's the best person in the world."

"Well actually, I-"

_"SHUT UP."_

I blink. This girl has some perplexing features, and she looks as if she was the oldest teenager out of the three. She has short, spiky hair that is dyed black with lime green highlights and a face that is caked with eyeliner and black lipstick. What an interesting individual.

"Okay, okay guys, stop fighting, we've had this problem since-"Victor tries to calm the group down before the green-haired girl snaps at him.

"And you! What kind of carer are you? If you had taken care of us right, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

Victor cleans his glasses, looking down. "Well, yes, I-"

"Alright, alright. We need to sort this out" The Professor decides to step in to help. Victor looks at him hopefully, whereas the girl doesn't take too kindly to his efforts.

"Who the hell are you? First, you just show up out of the blue, now you want to solve _our_ problems? Just because you're some fancy-schmancy professor doesn't mean that you know everything, mate!"

The Professor doesn't raise his voice, but instead sets and icy stare on her that would be enough to scare the living daylights out of everyone. "I'd rather that you didn't talk to me in such a rude manner," He chastises her darkly, and the girl immediately shuts up.

What is with these people? It appears that they don't like us very much. I look over to Flora and Jade. Jade pushes in her glasses with a small twitch, being silent. I'm guessing she's the stereotypical quiet-but-clever girl in school. I dust my top off, still feeling slightly offended at the remarks the boy shot at me before. I clear my throat.

"I guess we all better introduce ourselves then…," I mumble, feeling a little uneasy in the presence of people who don't want us here.

Victor claps his hands together. "Wonderful idea! I'll start! My name is-"

"We all know who you are, dumbass," The green-haired girl mutters, averting eye contact.

Victor's posture slouches and he nods, a little sad. "Of course you do. I was just reminding you... Anyway," He nods at the Professor. "We'll all go round in a circle."

"Professor Hershel Layton."

"Emmy Altava."

"Clive…" I stiffen, glaring at Dave. " _…Dove."_

"Lyssa Malone."

"Dave Wilson."

"Luke Triton."

"Flora Reinhold."

"Jade Liu."

"Great!" Victor cheers. "Now we all know who we are! I've now come to ask this question to our visitors…why come here?"

The Professor appears guilty for trespassing and looks down to the floor. What seems to be a chuckle emits from the back of his throat.

"Well, you see my good man, we came here in search for supplies."

"Supplies? Sure, we got tons of 'em!" Victor laughs and the other three teenagers don't say anything. "You guys look a state! Hahaha! Well, we can all shower here today, and we got enough food to last a fortnight!"

Emmy puts her hands on her hips, impressed. She sticks out her bottom lip in approval. "Pretty good place you have here."

"Yeah," Victor agrees. "So come on then! What are we waiting for? Let's have breakfast!"

* * *

"Seriously? You guys have a _flying car?_ That is SO COOL!" Dave announces over the table, looking eagerly at me to tell me more. It appears that all hatred we once had for each other has completely vanished.

"Yes," I nod. "And if you're really careful, you can stand on top of it while it's in the air!"

"Oh. My. Gosh. That's AWESOME!"

I chuckle and sip my lukewarm tea. Jade and Flora eat quietly, occasionally catching up on things, but other than that they hardly say anything. Emmy talks with the Professor and Victor about our story so far and I am busy keeping the two boys entertained.

"You are so lucky, dude," Dave mentions to Luke. "You get to live an epic, zombie-slaying life like in 'Resident Evil' while we're just stuck here hiding out in a crappy hotel, while Victor does all the defending!"

"It's certainly full of events, my life," Luke agrees, taking a bite out of his half-eaten toast. "You could live it too, you know. I mean, if you wanted to."

"Of course I want to!"

Luke sighs, thinks about it for a moment, and then his head snaps up. "Guys, we could bring this group with us on our travels!"

The room suddenly goes silent.

"…what?" Victor asks.

"Think about it! You're bored here, doing nothing, while we need help surviving! We have enough space in the car! Why not?"

Victor hesitates before answering. "Nnn… I don't know. We're happy here, and we wouldn't want to impose…."

"Fine with me!" Emmy jumps up. "What about you, Professor?"

"I'm alright with it!"

And so it is decided. From this day forward, Victor, Lyssa, Jade and Dave are officially part of the group. Speaking of Lyssa, I realise that she's sat at the end of the table by herself, staring at the blank wall with no life in her eyes. I scoot up one seat closer to her.

"Are you alright?" I want to know.

"Why do you care?" Lyssa mutters, not facing me.

What is it with children and rudeness these days? However, I understand that the apocalypse has probably had a big impact on children's lives all over the world, so I won't say anything. I sigh and watch as the girl lightly traces her finger on the table out of boredom. With an accepting nod, I move back to my normal seat and join in on the conversation there.

Life is terrible for us at the moment. We've all lost something dear to us. But, I have this terrible gut feeling that something will happen soon, something worse than anything that has happened to us before.

…my gut seems to have such an overactive imagination sometimes.


	9. Madness

_POV: Flora_

I'm so glad that I've seen a familiar face. Jade Liu, the girl at school who was shunned for being too 'nerdy' is surprisingly still alive and sat here next to me. I'm pretty glad that these survivors have joined the group as well, but I choose not to say anything. I prefer to leave the decision-making to the adults.

After showering, eating and changing into brand new clothes, we have gone back to the car to continue our journey. I have chosen a pretty, thin rose dress to suit my taste. After all, a daughter of a baron must have style and elegance. My thick curly hair is tied up in a side ponytail this time, and instead of my knee-high boots, I have chosen black trainers. I was about to put on some pumps to go with the outfit, but Dave 'reminded' me that this wasn't a fashion show. I pretended to ignore him, but after thinking about it, I had to admit that the annoying boy was right.

"…so basically, you guys actually don't know where you're going?" Victor questions with an eyebrow raised.

Emmy shakes her head sadly. "No. All we need to do though is really get out of here, and we'll go from there."

"Ah" Victor nods slowly, taking in all of the information he has heard today.

Lyssa is sitting behind me in the corner with her knees tucked into her chest, Jade is tapping on the floor of the car absentmindedly and Dave is listening to Clive and Luke on the roof. I can barely hear their conversation, but I know it's something to do with zombies and slaying; that's what they've been talking about for the past half an hour. Emmy is standing between the front seats where the Professor and Victor are sat.

"So where did you acquire that?" Emmy wants to know, looking over to the pistol resting on Victor's lap.

"Oh, this?" Victor looks around and brings a single finger to his lips. "Shh, don't tell anyone, but I stole this from the police station…"

The Professor has a look of pure shock on his face, but he refrains from letting his emotions spill out. "H-how interesting…how did you steal it exactly?"

"Well, the station was kind of empty anyway, and we needed a way of defending ourselves, so here we are! Ha ha ha!"

The Professor's eye twitches. "…quite…."

I hold in a quiet giggle and replace it with a heavy sigh instead. I crawl next to Jade, who breaks out of her trance to nod at me. She never really used to say much back in school, and I guess that's one aspect of her that's never changed, I guess. I straighten my ponytail and recline against the cool wall.

"So anyway…how do you think this thing started?" Emmy looks at Victor and the Professor expectantly, arms folded.

The Professor raises an eyebrow. "Oh? To be honest, I had never thought that hard over the matter…."

"Probably the result of some crackhead villain trying to take over the world like in the movies!" Victor suggests with a mischievous smile.

"But what would be left to rule over if the villain tried to rule the world by destroying it in the process?" Emmy points out and Victor considers it as a possible option by nodding.

"We should TOTALLY find out, dudes and dudettes!" Dave exclaims from the roof, and before Victor says anything, the Professor widens his eyes.

"The boy actually is right. We need to find out who did this to the world and why. Thank you for the suggestion, Dave!"

Dave pokes his head inside the vehicle. "I finally said something useful? SCORE!"

Jade chuckles at the boy while Lyssa rolls her eyes with a frustrated huff. I would go over and try to comfort her, but she looks a little bit...angry right now. I'll wait until another time. I watch as the Professor stands up (crouching a little bit because of the height) and calls everyone to attention. He announces that now we will find out what caused the zombie apocalypse and why, and everyone agrees to this decision. The Professor fires up the ignition and begins to drive.

"Alright, now hold onto the pole…" Clive instructs Dave, and the boy does so.

"OH MY GOSH THIS IS SO AMAZING I CAN FEEL THE WIND ON MY FACE LIKE A DOG!" Dave screams as the car speeds away.

Clive laughs and stands behind him. I really don't understand why he likes it so much up there. Perhaps it's a thrill, I don't know.

"So where are we to, Professor?" Victor asks said man with a cocked head.

"I'm not sure, but it must be a location useful enough to start our research…" The Professor muses, keeping his eyes locked onto the road.

Emmy lets out an 'hmm' as she thinks, before jumping up. "Hey! Why don't we go to the library?"

So it is settled. We are on our way to the library, driving past deserted roads and houses. It breaks my heart to witness London in such a state.

"I'm really glad to see you," Jade tells me with a warm smile.

I exchange the expression. "You too…Jade."

Everything is silent in the car, save for the noisy humming of the engine and our heavy breathing. Even Dave has quietened down a little. The atmosphere is almost peaceful, even though everyone has a painful experience with the apocalypse. I shut my tired eyes, being dragged off to sleep by the whirring, only to have them open wide again….

Literally. Emmy's shout to the Professor jolts everyone out of their daydreams.

"PROFESSOR! LOOK!"

The Professor unexpectedly brakes, causing Luke, Clive and Dave to fall back into the interior of the car. I stand up to the window to catch a closer glimpse of the action. What I see shocks me to the core.

In front of us, a few ten metres away from the car, stands some zombies. That's not what surprises me though, what does is the zombie ambling around in front.

Bill Hawks.

The last Prime Minister of Britain is now before us in his undead form. It was merely a year ago when we saw this man alive and well as we saved him from Clive's mobile fortress. I can't help but let my jaw drop at the sight.

"Dude…that's the Prime Minister…" Dave breathes, gasping a little.

Clive stiffens. Luke steps back a little bit to the back of the car, shivering. I do the same as him, watching in terror as Bill staggers closer to us. Emmy reaches behind her to slide out her makeshift weapon, but Clive halts her by putting his hand on hers. He mutters something to her ear which the rest of us can't make out, before leaping up onto the roof. We do nothing to stop him. The Professor watches on with an emotionless expression worn on his face. Clive jumps off of the roof, landing with a crouch on the concrete. I can see a face of pain and hatred as he glares at the zombie Bill Hawks.

I know what he's going to do.

" _Finally…,_ " He mutters under his breath, clenching his fists. " _Finally I can avenge them!_ "

Before anyone can stop him, Clive sprints forward toward the monster. He beats him, kicks his face and trips him up. Tainted blood spurts from his body. After that…Bill Hawks drops to the floor, finally dead. I can tell that Clive enjoyed that victorious moment. He whirls around to the car, maliciousness in his eyes. His pupils have shrunk and his smile is reminiscent to one of the Cheshire cat. He's lost to the demon inside of him. His feelings for revenge have kicked in again, and the madness he displayed before has come back. The calm and collected Clive is gone. Now he's looking at all of us, _staring_ at all of us, hungrily.

Things will not end well.

However, Emmy is determined to talk sense into the man. She jumps out of the window and extends her weapon at him, edging closer and closer.

"Emmy…"

"Stop it Clive. This isn't you" Emmy says bluntly, her weapon still pointed at Clive's chest.

"Of course it's me…" Clive sings dementedly. "Oh Emmy, I wish you could feel the amount of joy that I feel right now…"

Emmy breathes in. "I'd rather pass up on that offer. Clive, you're just shaken from the death of Bill Hawks… Please, this isn't the real you!"

Said man just cackles like a hyena. "Shaken? Ohhh…I'm overjoyed! I've ALWAYS wanted to do this! I wanted to destroy thousands of lives for this! I'M PASSIONATE, EMMY!"

"I think the dude's finally lost it…" Dave whispers.

"Emmy, he's dangerous! Come back at once!" The Professor orders at the top of his voice.

"What, and leave little old me…? That would be mean of you, Emmy…Very, very mean…."

"Clive…," Emmy steps forward until they are inches away from each other. "Come back…."

"I don't really understand, Emmy," Clive taunts before Emmy presses her spear against his chest.

Emmy leans forward slowly. All of us in the car hold our breaths as they are about to make contact. Emmy's lips barely brush against his. They are about to….

Emmy whispers something, her breath hot on his lips.

Clive's eyes return back to normal. He springs away from her. "Emmy…," He utters before running off in the other direction, away from her.

The girl goes after him while we sit in the car, absolutely speechless.

"…what just happened…?" Victor asks, his voice trembling.

"…it's a long story…," The Professor answers. "A very long and sad drama…"

* * *

We have decided to chase after Clive and Emmy. We find them sat in an abandoned café, Clive shaking and Emmy sitting next to him. Clive is mumbling something to himself while Emmy listens, staring at the blank wall.

"Emmy…," The Professor starts.

Emmy's eyes travel to him. "He's alright" She smiles sadly. "He's alright."

"Will someone tell me just what the hell is going on around here?" Lyssa questions expectantly.

Emmy looks from Lyssa to Clive hesitantly and sighs. "Clive's parents died eleven years ago in an accident caused by Bill Hawks."

Lyssa holds her breath and her expression softens into one of sympathy. "Oh…I didn't know. I guess…the idea of revenge made him…do _that."_

Clive nods sadly. "Y-yeah… I'm sorry for scaring you…"

"Let's forgive him!" Victor cheers. "Forgiveness is the most important thing in this world, of course!"

"If you haven't _noticed,_ the world has _changed,_ " Lyssa mutters through gritted teeth. "He's grown up without damn parents. He needs more than forgiveness."

"B-But I wasn't saying-!"

"Just shut the hell up for once, Victor."

Victor sighs and is quiet. How could she just push her carer around like that? That's awfully rude. But now that this dilemma has been cleared up, shouldn't we be off to the library?

Well…first I think that Clive needs a little bit of calming down to do.


	10. The Roots of the Investigation

_POV: Luke_

Clive seems to have calmed down a bit after his outburst a few moments ago. We have decided to take the unstable man back to the car and continue our journey to the library. He hasn't said anything for the entire journey. To be fair, neither have the rest of us.

Clive is shaking at the back of the car, staring blankly at the seats ahead of him. How could such a calm man just lose his mind so quickly? Dave and I have taken his place on the roof, slumped against the pole while holding tightly onto it all the same. Dave is at a loss for words (for once). Lyssa is curled up in the car, her face pensive, Flora and Jade are sat next to each other and Emmy, Victor and the Professor have their gazes on the road ahead.

There's such an uneasy atmosphere right now. Soon, the car stops and we all hop out onto the pavement. Luckily, the local library hasn't been destroyed.

"So shall we check if this place isn't full of creatures?" The Professor suggests, finally breaking the silence.

Emmy nods once, pushes open the heavy door and stands cautious with her spear. She sniffs the air and looks around, telling us to wait where we are. We do so, and she runs inside. A few moments later, Emmy signals us that everything's good. We go in after her, Clive shuffling behind our group. He looks awfully solemn, his face filled with regret. I can't help but feel sorry for the man, even if he did pretend to be the future version of me a year ago.

"So now what do we do?" Victor asks, wearing a confused smile.

"We search" The Professor answers, flying to a random bookcase and scanning the contents of it.

Victor shrugs and does the same to a different bookcase. Emmy goes to a computer and so does Jade, leaving Lyssa, Flora, Clive and I to follow Victor and the Professor's actions. I pick out books of the non-fiction section. The particular area I'm given is 'Religion', so it's possible that there could be something interesting here.

I flick open a book about Christianity, nothing. Islam, nothing. Judaism, nothing. I sigh, throwing the books over my shoulder. We plough through almost every book in the library while Emmy and Jade tap away on the keyboards.

Finally, I have cleared out the entire religion section. I sit on my bottom, folding my arms and feeling quite cross about not finding anything. But, we haven't got enough evidence to start the case anyway, so this could just be all for nothing. We need a lead, and it better not go cold. I recline against the bookcase, until I fall on something. I appear to have knocked over and broken the bookcase. I wince as the wood clatters onto the floor.

"What did you do, mate?" Lyssa questions harshly, looming over me like a tower.

"I- ahahaha- I…," I stutter, falling backward again.

I hit my head against the wall, letting out an 'OOF!' as my skull makes sudden contact with the brick. As I land on the floor though, something protrudes into my back. I immediately swipe it out, glaring at it angrily. My face softens as I realise what it is. It's a book…a book that I haven't read.

"Eh? I thought I read them all!" I wonder aloud, dusting off the cover of the book.

"What's all the commotion about?" The Professor wants to know, standing over me. He sighs when he sees the mess.

"Professor, I've found this hidden book!" I announce, reading the cover.

'The Ido Cult', it reads. What? I've never heard of this 'Ido Cult'. Why was it hidden in the bookshelf anyway?

"'The Ido Cult,'" I read aloud. "Say, Professor, what's the Ido Cult?"

"Ido Cult?" Victor steps in, pushing in his glasses. "Oh yes! Rumour has it, there's a group of people who want to kill everyone because apparently the world is doomed. A bit over-the-top, don't you think? Ha ha ha!"

"Hmm…," The Professor folds his arms. "I've never heard of this rumour."

"You're an archaeology professor, are you not? You're bound to have heard something about the Ido Cult?" Victor questions.

"Nothing, I'm afraid. Where did you happen to hear this, Victor?"

"Oh, I used to have a Granddad who told me all sorts of stories about those Ido guys. Ah, he was quite the charming fellow, you know!"

The Professor soaks in this information and then turns back to me and the book. "Luke, if you don't mind reading a page?"

I nod. "Y-Yes Professor," I open the front cover and begin to read.

"According to legend, there is a secret organization called the Ido Cult. This is a variation of Christianity, focusing more on the events of Noah's Ark more than anything else. These people are called Idoists, and are followers of the ancient God, the Great Kontu. Idoists believe that the Earth and the humans in it are all tainted, and so they have strived to destroy it. It is foretold that the apocalypse will be caused by Idoists, as they believe they are doing this for the greater good…," I stop reading and shut the book.

Everyone in the room is at a loss for words.

"So…bottom line is, there's a crazy group of people who want to kill everyone because they think it's _good?_ " Dave finally says, his voice raised.

"That's what it says in the book, man…," Lyssa breathes, sat cross-legged next to me.

The Professor extends out his palm in my direction. "Luke, may I take a look at that book?"

I hand it to the Professor without hesitation. He flicks through each page, his eyes observing the tiny letters on them. While he does that, Dave sits next to Lyssa, whispering to her about something. Why do they look suspicious? Lyssa suddenly throws Dave to the ground. Just as Victor can stop them fighting, Lyssa glares at him and he pauses in his tracks. Why does Victor surrender to Lyssa so easily?

"Hm," The Professor suddenly says. "In here, it actually tells you where secret Idoist organizations are based. There's only two in Britain… and they're both in London."

"The damn Idoist who started this can't be too far away, then!" Victor points out.

" _If_ it was an Idoist that started this, that is," The Professor corrects him. "And anyway…if an Idoist DID start this…then I believe we should pay a visit to the Longhorn Research Facility."


	11. The Research Facility

_POV: Emmy_

We leave the library at once. The Longhorn Research Facility turns out to be hidden by the wood. Why would it be hidden from existence? It doesn't make sense. We approach the large building with smoke steaming from the chimneys. It's a dull, boring brick building, nothing special. I go inside on my own to check the first room for zombies. Nothing. Clive would usually accompany me to do this, but ever since he went a little…crazy, there has been a thick awkwardness between the pair of us. In truth, I hate the feeling, but I feel that Clive might hate me. I'm not sure why.

I give the all clear to the others, and they follow in after me.

"I remember this place!" Victor exclaims, his voice echoing off the walls.

"You do?" The Professor beckons Victor to say more on the matter.

"Yeah! My Grandpa and I were on a walk and we got lost, so we ended up in here! Oh man, I remember it so well now…," He smiles fondly at the memory. "I think I even made some potions of my own in the lab!"

Everyone exchanges confused glances. Victor's the only one who's ever been here before…and this is Ido territory? Well, he did get lost in the woods, so it sounds reasonable. We follow the ecstatic Victor to the lab and he swings the double doors open. The sight that meets our eyes isn't the best one. Liquid and blood mixed into each other is splattered on the walls and the floor, and there is a foul stench in the air. We wrinkle our noses.

"Ah…it looks different" Victor observes, disgusted by the sight.

"No shit, Sherlock," Lyssa mutters, but surprisingly the Professor doesn't hear.

This question has crossed my mind quite a few times now.... How can Lyssa have full control over someone she's supposed to respect? I shake my head and carry on. We step into the lab, examining our destroyed surroundings. Zombies. Those damn things. Whoever, or whatever, started this must be sadistic. If Idoists _did_ start the apocalypse, then that is one cult that will go down in history as the most sadistic bastards that ever roamed this damn earth.

"Hang on, I've got to check if the potions I made are still here!" Victor informs us, before skipping off to a cupboard.

He yanks it open, and his eyes are filled with joy. "Yes! They're still here!"

"What are they potions for, Victor?" Luke wants to know.

"Well," Victor picks up a tinted blue vial and holds it for all to see. "I'm not sure yet, when I was little, I just threw a bunch of things together ha ha ha! So I wouldn't recommend drinking it."

"A blue vial? Tell me, my good man, why not a clear one?" The Professor looks at the liquid inside it, probably wondering what it could do to the human body.

"Oh, my favourite colour is blue," Victor answers with a slight giggle. "And maybe I put it in this so the scientists wouldn't drink it. I wasn't even allowed to make anything, but I did it behind their backs! Ha ha, I was so naughty back then. So anyway, if you find a blue vial around here, don't drink it because it's mine!"

We nod slowly, and then continue our investigation in the Research Facility. Where are all the scientists? Dead? Zombies themselves? Then I begin to wonder. This is an Idoist organization. Maybe, if Idoists did start this pandemic, then surely the potion for the zombie apocalypse or something would be in here! This is the Idoist lab! We search high and low for a possible poison that could have caused the worst.

We find nothing. This lead just might have gone cold. Even with all of our eyes, none of us find anything.

"Well, that lead's dead" Luke takes the words right out of my mouth.

"Hm. There's always a possibility of us not getting anything, Luke. It appears that this is just one of those cases. Come, we'll leave at once," The Professor turns on his heel and begins for the door.

"Wait!" Jade calls after him. "Didn't you tell us that there were _two_ Idoist locations?"

The Professor stops. "Oh yes… I did, didn't I? Well, we can visit that one in the morning. It's getting late; we should go back to the car."

We agree and then we start to go back. But suddenly, a groan stops us from going anywhere. I spin around, attack the zombie behind me and send it to its doom by slicing it in half. Blood flies everywhere, but I dodge it before it can land on me. Doing a backflip, I kick the other zombie to send it flying into the glass.

"That was so epic, dudette" Dave breathes after watching me fight.

"Thanks…dude" I smirk.

A longing in my heart. Someone is usually fighting with me. I look over to Clive and I smile at him. He smiles sadly back at me. I sigh. His mental stability has crumbled after that encounter with Bill Hawks. I wish we had driven off when we had the chance, back then.

Another moan interrupts my thoughts. I whip my spear around, expecting another zombie to come out from the blue and lash out at me. But nothing happens. Then I realise that this moan isn't one of a zombie…it's one of a human! Another survivor! I dash off, following the sound. The others run behind me. I stop just outside a room.

'Experimentation Room', the door sign reads. I am just about to lay a finger on the door handle before a bold voice stops me.

"Don't."

I whirl around in the direction of the voice. There, standing back-to-wall, is a survivor. She has waist-length, messy purple hair and she is dressed in a black long-sleeved top with black denim mini-shorts. A brown backpack is slung over her arm. She stands up to all of us.

"So you lot survived the zombie apocalypse too, then? Huh. I'm not alone," The woman tells us, closing her eyes. "Who are you lot?"

Victor pushes past everyone and extends out his hand with a wide smile. "Oh boy, another survivor! I'm Victor!"

"Hah. You're funny, Victor. Hello everyone, my name is Katrina Shanks-Meltsner. But just call me Katrina," Katrina announces, placing a single hand on her chest.

We all stare at her before exchanging confused glances again.

"Emmy Altava," I say after a long, awkward silence.

And so the introduction sequence goes again. After we all have said our names, Katrina places a hand on her hip and asks us why we came here.

"I think we should ask you that question!" Luke says.

"Yeah, but I asked you first" Katrina retorts and Luke sinks back.

"Well," The Profesor steps into the conversation. "We're currently on a little investigation. Are you aware of the Ido rumour?"

"Ah, so you've come here to investigate the Idos too, have you? Seems like we have a lot in common then, mate," Katrina winks and the Professor blushes slightly.

I hold back the urge to laugh at him.

"Yeah, so anyway, I'm guessing that you're wondering if the Idos did this, right?" Katrina asks. "Well, they _did._ "

Everyone in the room falls silent.

"…how'd you know that?" Lyssa barks, breaking the silence by throwing the question at the woman.

Katrina chuckles. "I know a lot of things, commoner."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"I WILL answer your question…later."

Lyssa growls, not liking the fact that she's been left in the dark.

"Now that we've all been introduced, why don't we head back? It's getting late," The Professor suggests. He turns to Katrina. "Would you like to come with us, Miss Katrina?"

"Sure, why not? We're all in the same boat. I can help you with your little investigation, if you want me to."

Even though I'm a little bit uncomfortable with sleeping in the same area as a stranger, I act welcoming anyway. Katrina joins the group and walks with us out of the research facility. She takes a camera out of her backpack and starts taking snapshots of the forest. I suddenly feel a pang of jealousy; what happened to my camera? I must have left it back home. Fighting in the apocalypse must have made me forget about my love for photography. Well, I'd find a new camera and have that one.

We are walking through the woods, twigs snapping and fallen leaves crunching under our feet. The atmosphere is uneasy, now that we have someone new here with us.

"So, Katrina, why don't you tell us what you know about the Idos?" The Professor requests and Katrina agrees.

"Mmm, yeah, you've done a kind deed to me, so now I have to return the favour. Sounds alright. Where do you want me to begin?"

"…why don't you tell us how you know about the Idos first?"

"Ok. I know about the Idos because one of my best friends was an Idoist and he told me everything about them, their intentions, and their culture and so on," Katrina tells us. "It's actually quite a nice religion when you listen to the story from an Idoist's point of view. But when you summarize what they want to do in your own head, it's an evil thing to follow. They follow the Great Kontu, and they want to 'rid the world of evil'. What they're really doing, however, is they're being brainwashed by the Great Kontu's twisted words. It's scary stuff."

We shudder at the information we've been told. This really means that an Idoist started the apocalypse, and could even be in the next city over! Imagine that, standing next to the destroyer of the world. I look to my side to illustrate the point in my head and I see Lyssa standing there. She glares at me to stop staring at her. I snap my head back immediately.

"Rumour has it, there's even an Idoist bible written by the Great Kontu himself. The Great Kontu is supposed to have been a witness to Noah's Ark, but everyone knows that he couldn't have survived that. I don't know. The Idoist bible can apparently be found in the Ido Church, which I've never visited before. My friend, though, had," Katrina continues.

"What happened to your friend?" Victor wants to know.

"Ah, he…well it's quite painful to talk about, you see…," Katrina rubs at the back of her head nervously.

"Of course" The Professor ceases his questionings and carries on back to the car.

Katrina speeds up her walk to ask Layton about the car, like everyone else has, and I slow mine to stand next to…him.

Clive looks up to me. He hasn't said anything, save for the introduction of his name earlier.

"…you alright?" I ask him softly.

"I guess," He sighs. His voice has lost that confidence, that boldness he once had.

"So…what do you think about this Idoist jazz?" I want to know.

"It's quite frightening to know that someone would want to destroy their own…," He trails off, realising the pain behind his words.

He's hurting badly.

"Look, Clive, it wasn't your fa-"

"It was, Emmy. It was my entire fault. So what if Bill Hawks," He winces as he speaks the name. "Did this to my life? Revenge is not the answer. Revenge is never…" He falters, then looks ahead. "I'd like to be alone now, Emmy."

I give a little nod, trying to understand his feelings, before walking up to the others.

Our investigation must continue tomorrow.


	12. Paranoia

_POV: Layton_

We wake up in the morning to the rising sun. It shines bright in our eyes, almost blinding us. As it is only early morning and hardly any people are awake, I decide to rest my eyes again. It appears that Katrina and Clive, the only ones awake, are having a conversation. I try not to eavesdrop, but in the end I use their voices as a lullaby.

"So Clive, tell me about yourself."

"What's there to tell? I…destroyed a fair amount of London. That's it" Clive answers, his voice pained.

"Well, why?" Katrina wants to know.

Clive chuckles. "Haha…well, I guess I was too crazy to see what I was actually doing, you see. It all started eleven years ago when my…parents died."

"Ah, been there, done that, got the T-Shirt, mate."

"Your parents died too?"

"Not just my parents. My children and my husband," Katrina sighs sadly. "I had twins. Jacob and Eugene Jr, named after my hubby. Adorable little things they were. The most beautiful faces you'll ever see in the British Isles," She smiles fondly in memory of them. "Sadly, they…died a few days after birth. Hardly got to see them, as well. And my husband…Well, Eugene was quite the gentleman, I'd say. Always used to greet me in the mornings and nights. Used to sweep me off my feet…but, that all soon came to an end."

Clive is silent. He opens his mouth, but no words come out. "…oh. I…I'm so sorry."

Katrina gives him a half smile. "Ah, it's okay now. But you know what? Keep this a secret, would you? Good. Because…I actually tried to raise Eugene from the dead."

" _What?_ How?"

"A simple resurrection elixir, of course. Sadly, it failed with Eugene as his body was already cremated before I could get to him. It works on everything dead, including these zombies here. But, it was designed for Eugene and me, so it can only be transferred into the deceased loved one's body with a true love's kiss… Sounds like a fairytale, I know. But sometimes there are such things as happy endings."

"Or not" Clive adds solemnly.

Katrina smiles again. "You'll get yours, Clive. Someday," She glances over to Emmy's peaceful sleeping body. "You just need to know where to start looking."

* * *

I stretch my muscles and rub my eyes open. Everyone is already awake besides Flora and Dave. I scan the people in the car, saying good morning to each of them. Luke, Emmy, Katrina, Victor, Lyssa, Clive and Ja… I blink. Where is Jade?

"Have any of you seen Jade this morning?" I ask everyone that is already awake.

Heads turn in search of the Chinese girl, but in the end, they all shake sadly. No one has seen her. I step past everyone and climb up the pole, just in case Jade is on the roof. She isn't. Now I start to grow worried. Anything could have happened to the girl, especially in the middle of the apocalypse! I jump back into the car and shake Flora gently to wake her up. A gentleman should never disturb the slumber of a lady, but this is a desperate time.

"Flora, have you seen Jade?" I question.

"N-no, why?"

"Where could she be, Professor?" Victor panics, fretting.

I say nothing and jump out of the car. She can't be too far from here. The rest of the group follows me as I run around this part of the city, checking every nook and cranny. Jade can't be seen. I stop running to catch my breath. Luke is right beside me, mirroring my actions.

"Where could Jade have gone, Professor?" He asks, worried.

"Jade's a bright girl, Luke. She couldn't have gone far without knowing the danger about to strike her. Speaking theoretically, she probably might have gone somewhere like a deserted building to let off some-" I muse, before a voice interrupts.

"Pro…fess...Professor…!"Katrina calls from behind me.

Her eyes are fixated inside a skip that she has pulled the lid off of. I rush over to see what's the matter and so does Luke. I gasp at the sight before me when I peer inside the skip. There, curled up inside the dumpster, lies Jade…

…dead.

Her eyes are wide and her mouth is gaping open, drool seeping out. Blood is trickling down her forehead and maggots are squirming around in her wounds. Plunged into her arm is a drained syringe.

"Holy…" Lyssa whispers behind me, her mouth curved into a perfect 'o'.

"Professor…" Emmy breathes.

Katrina reaches inside the skip, curls her fingers around the syringe and pulls it out of her skin. She examines it carefully. "Hmm…this doesn't look good at all, Professor… It seems that this syringe was filled with poison."

"Why would anyone want to poison Jade? What did she ever do?" Luke raises his voice and I calm him down, although my mind is asking the same thing.

"I'm not sure… A zombie couldn't have done this," Katrina gasps, shooting her head from side to side. "This means…! That the Ido that did this is watching us! He's waiting to kill us!"

I want to tell her that that possibly cannot be right, but I can't bring myself to, as it is the most likely option. That, or…the Idoist is one of us. I scan my eyes around the group, and I find that they fall on Lyssa. How is she able to manipulate Victor? Why is she so quiet? These questions float around in my head, and I plan on finding the answers to the puzzle sometime soon. Quickly.

Katrina closes her eyes and places the syringe down beside her. She stands up and then crushes the glass under her foot. "It's started with Jade…" Her shocked eyes fly open. "…And it will finish with the rest of us!"

An uneasy, yet eerie, atmosphere falls upon everyone, me included. A chill runs down my spine as I realise that Katrina is right. There could very well be someone on the run, waiting with a syringe to kill us. But something tells me that the Ido isn't someone we don't know, but someone in this group instead…

Behind us, Flora bursts into tears. She grieves over her only real friend that she has survived with for only a day. But Flora and Jade might have been good friends in their secondary school, I'm not that sure. By the look on Flora's face right now, Jade probably was. Even though I have full respect for the dead, I know that we must press on. Now that this incident has occurred, we never know when the killer will strike next. We must unmask him or her as soon as possible, but if we're not careful, any one of us could be next…

"I'm sorry everyone, but we must carry on with the investigation. We must work as fast as we can," I tell them, and most of them give reluctant nods.

"Professor, didn't you say that there was another Idoist location we can visit?" Emmy checks which reminds me.

"Yes, I did. It was the Ido Church, located on the other side of the wood, just like the Research Facility. I think we should pay it a visit."

* * *

We have been walking for quite a while now. After heaving ourselves through the wood, we finally find the obscure Ido Church. My guess is that the Idoists were banned from society, or hidden in secret so that the police couldn't find them. They _were_ plotting to destroy the world, after all. Luke stands beside me as we push open the great wooden doors. Judging by the architecture and the ivy crawling up the walls, this building probably is a few hundred years old. If that is the case, then how have they successfully been in hiding this long? As nobody is a few hundred years old in the world anymore (well, there never has been really), I doubt that we'll ever find the answer.

The interior of the church looks like any other church. Rows of pews lined up in single file with aisles sat in the middle. My footsteps echo on the stone when I take a step into the building. How can this church be different to one of a Christian? I observe my surroundings. The hall is very grand. The windows are decorated in stain glass and have interesting symbolism to them. I cannot make out what they actually look like.

"So what are we doing here, Professor?" Victor questions, tilting his head.

"Finding anything we can," I turn to Katrina. "Miss Shanks-Meltsner, didn't you say that there is an Idoist Bible?"

"Yes!" Katrina swings on her heels. "I did say that! It's an Idoist Bible, found right here in the Ido Church, according to rumour!"

I wonder where Katrina has heard all this information, but nevertheless, we carry on. Searching high and low for the Ido Bible is quite the tiresome activity. At the back of the church, I find an oak bookcase. I scan through to pick out some books that possibly could be the Ido Bible, and I find a few. Luke joins me, and I hand a book to him to flip through. Luke opens the book, dusts it off and then leans against the side of the bookcase as he reads. But suddenly, the bookcase gives way and the boy stumbles over.

"Luke! Are you alright?" I ask in concern, rushing to his side with the other members of the group.

"Y-yeah…I'm fine, Professor…"He answers, rubbing his forehead with a moan.

We nod, relieved, before focusing our attention on the bookcase Luke slid to the side. Before I attempt to push it back, I notice what the others are gawping at. They all stare behind me, and as I spin around to see what is happening, I catch sight of it.

There, behind the bookcase, is a tiny, secret room. Spiraled wooden stairs stand in the centre of the barely lit area. Cobwebs hang on the banisters. We all gawk at it in amazement.

"So…who's going first?" Victor breaks the silence.

I volunteer, taking a step forward and steadying a careful hand on the banister. The stairs creak under my weight but I ignore my fear and carry on.

"There can only be one person on the staircase at a time, there might be an accident otherwise," I tell the others while wagging a finger.

After slowly climbing the stairs, I reach another wall with a door on it. I finger the doorknob unsurely, wondering what could be behind this door. We can never be too careful around hundred-year old places, under any circumstance. I swallow my terror with an audible gulp and push the door open gently. It screeches as I do so, which only adds to the eerie effect. I fumble around for a light switch and instead find a cord. I pull it down, and the room before me lightens. I'm surprised the light even works.

The veil of darkness that cloaked the secret room has been lifted. In its place is a…slightly modern type of bedroom. Two beds are opposite each other in the far end of the room that has been painted a sickly yellow. The floor is built of stone, of course, and the only thing that covers it is a blood red carpet. Another wood bookcase is to the side of the room, and the light bulb dangles loosely from where it has been attached to from the ceiling.

The others join me soon enough. Luckily, they have been able to survive that old staircase. I fold my arms as everyone examines the room with wide eyes full of interest. To be honest, this room seems like a children's room, what with the toys scattered about on the floor and the colour of the walls. I decide to take a look around in this room. I investigate the bed sheets, the furniture, and of course, the bookcase. Bookcases have played a large part in our research so far.

It looks like we are third time lucky with bookcases. There are thin books, children's books, hastily shoved into the shelves to fit. What child would live here? I empty out the bookcase, which leaves two books left. I take the first one I see out. It is a leather diary, bound by a blue ribbon and tied with a neat bow at the end. I unfasten it, and then open it. My eyes scan the page as I let the others catch a glimpse at the pages as well.

_19th September, 1996_

_Dear Diary,_

__

I got this book today. Grandpa Jones remembers my face clear and well as I tore away the wrapping from my present- shocked, grateful, and joyous too! I also got this pen too; I'm clicking it as I write this! This has been the best Arkday I've had, or any day for that matter. In case you don't know, Diary, Arkday is a special special special day where Idoists celebrate God ridding the world of all sins! It's fascinating, don't you think? I also got some new pyjamas and a book- Tommy's Train Adventures! It's a great book, honest! Grandpa Jones is the kindest old man you will ever meet, and I can't thank him enough for getting this for me! Oh, what amazing adventures I'll have as a young Idoist growing up to save the world! Can you imagine, little me, saving the world! I certainly can't, and that's a fact! The Sacrenaught helps me to learn how though. It teaches all Idoists how to be good people and it's an even better read than Tommy's Train Adventures! I keep it in the bookcase I keep this diary in, so if you want to take a look, it's there!

__

_Until next time, Diary!_

I put down the book carefully. The author of this diary sounds like a young boy or girl being looked after by a grandfather or unmentioned parents. Flicking through the book, I realise that there are quite a few pages to read through, so I'll make sure I remember to do that. But I believe he or she also mentioned the…'Sacrenaught'…? My guess is that this 'Sacrenaught' is really the Idoist Bible that Katrina was talking about. And that the Sacrenaught is the last remaining book on the shelf.

I begin to reach toward it, but then a loud knocking from downstairs interrupts me from my thoughts. We freeze in our tracks.

"Professor…what's that…?" Victor asks, and I can tell that he is shivering in fright.

I stand up with a gruff. "Judging by the loud noises, they aren't humans. They're probably the creatures," I look at Emmy. "Emmy, would you mind standing guard outside? We need our best fighters to keep this safe while we investigate."

"Sure thing, Professor" Emmy salutes with a mischievous smile and jumps to her feet, proceeding to skip downstairs.

I watch her leave before looking at the rest of the group in content. Katrina suddenly raises her hand.

"You know Professor, I actually am quite good a fighter. I should go help Emmy ward off the zombies" She suggests smugly, her nose raised to the sky with her purple hair tumbling down behind her.

"Oh, that's alright dear, but I'm sure Emmy will be fine on her-"

"Please. I _insist._ "

The smile that rises to Katrina's face is bittersweet and she leaves after Emmy. I shrug the suspicious feeling off and the others crawl towards me and the bookcase to finally read what the Great Kontu has written about his cult….


	13. An Unexpected Turn of Events

_POV: Clive_

Normally, I would be the one to fight with Emmy. I guess the Professor is questioning my mental stability right now. Even though I thoroughly agree with his decision, I still feel a little bit out of place. Because of my mind, my life will never be the same. Thing is, my whole life changed because of that damn Bill Hawks. The mention of his name even brings back painful memories. That man completely ruined my life and showed no remorse for his actions. He only bathed in money instead- he destroyed the lives of ten people and was rewarded with the most powerful seat in government among riches and fame. At least I served him some justified karma in the end.

"But what little dude or dudette would live in _here_ of all damn places?"

Dave's question mirrors the one floating in my head right at this moment. Maybe the Idoists lived here to get away from people? Simple guess. Anyway, the rest of the mystery would probably be explained in the Sacrenaught. The Professor replies that he doesn't know to Dave before reaching for the 'holy' book and dusting it off. It is the size of a regular book, really, covered in some brown leather (like the diary). On the cover, there is a large gold symbol- a circle with a diagonal line through it. This must be the Ido symbol, if anything. The Professor pulls the book open and flicks to the front page. He proceeds to read the text out to us.

"I am the Great Kontu, your leader. You are an Idoist, my follower. I have witnessed the cleaning of the earth, and I shall believe that the cleaning of the earth has saved the lives of many. Every five thousand years, the cleaning of the earth must happen. My Idoists, if the event does not take place naturally, you must be the ones to begin it. We are good people, and our clan must survive through many pain-filled days to come. We can put an end to the evil in the world- The evil that has strived to throw us off balance from our main task.

My Idoists have been born into this world for a simple reason: we are all prophets. Prophets sent by the heavens to cleanse the world of sins. All over the earth are Idoists, but this Sacrenaught I am writing into now must stay inside this church at all costs. Anyone who disobeys my commands is evil, one whom we must target. Idoists must not live amongst these evil persons, commoners, and therefore must hide from the world, changing the world in secret. Idoists must not make commoner 'friends'. The sacred tool that has been used to cleanse the earth must stay inside the Ido Church to be an object of worship. The one who changes the Earth will be the Ido that will be looked upon for centuries on end as a figure of good, a God…"

"So if you destroy the world, you're a _god_? This 'Great Kontu' sounds awfully fishy to me!" Luke exclaims, placing a hand on his hip.

The Professor strokes his chin in thought, his eyes closed. "I can only say that this Great Kontu might have actually existed. Now we know for certain that there is an Idoist somewhere here. I have a feeling that I know who it is."

Personally, I can't decide who would be the Idoist that started this at this early stage, even with the death of Jade. I am quite worried myself, as the Idoist who wants other humans to die as well is killing this group off. But what if he or she is working with someone in this group? What if he or she _is_ in this group? We will find out the answer soon, anyway, as someone else might be killed by the Idoist.

We decide to have a further examination of the room. Victor flips through the diary in interest, Lyssa, Flora and Dave poke at a few toys while the Professor and I study the furniture. The beds seem to be in good condition, as if no zombies have been up here. The sheets are folded and neat, although the room has a certain atmosphere to it, as if no-one's been up here for ages. This certainly is an interesting place.

However, I can't stop thinking about Emmy and Katrina either. Will they be alright, down there by themselves. _Pull yourself together,_ I furrow my eyebrows. _Emmy's a great fighter. She'll be fine on her own._ Somehow I just can't convince myself fully of the fact. A spark of jealousy bubbles inside of me when I think about Katrina fighting with Emmy. Will Katrina be Emmy's new best friend? Damn, I'm too old to be thinking thoughts that primary school children would think. It is worrying though.

I'm not spending enough time with Emmy anymore. I wish that I could though, but that almost-kiss has set almost a barrier of awkwardness between us. I frown as I lightly caress the drawers in search of any clues. I steadily smooth my hand across the surface, careful not to get any blisters plunged into my finger.

Going back to the matter we are currently focusing on now, we don't know who the Idoist is targeting next. It could be the Professor, Luke, Flora…Emmy… If it is Emmy, then I'll stay up day and night to protect her. What's this feeling…in my chest? It's…warm and tingling. I haven't felt this since Constance was around. I place a hand on my heart. Is anything wrong with me? I'd better not be coming down with something. I feel my heart thud quickly for a while, before standing next to the Professor.

Emmy kissed the Professor. She has feelings for him. Sighing, I acknowledge the fact that Emmy perhaps has more chemistry with the good Professor as they have been together for longer. But…we might not survive tomorrow. I should just…tell Emmy about my feelings for her before it's over for us. But how can I build up the courage to do so if I'm scared as to what Emmy would do. Will she return the feelings? Will she laugh in my face? No… Emmy would never do that to one of her friends. She's kind, thoughtful, pretty and-

_An ear-piercing scream._

We freeze. My head snaps up fast enough to break my neck when I recognize who the scream belongs to. No…

Emmy. _It's her scream._

Ignoring all warning from the Professor, I jump up and sprint down the rickety stairs as fast as I can, flying towards the entrance of the church. I thrust the heavy wooden doors open with all my might.

Standing right in front of me is Katrina, lurched forward with one foot in front of her, and Emmy backed up against the wall with fear in her eyes.

"What the hell just happened here?" I demand, glaring at Katrina expectantly.

"I-I don't know! A zombie came and I thought it bit Emmy in the arm, so I checked it out, and she jumped away screaming! I'm really worried; I think she might have been affected greatly from the apocalypse!" Katrina protests, raising her hands beside her head and displaying a confused look at the frightened girl.

I have a hard time believing this woman's story. I turn to Emmy and beckon her to reveal her side of the story. She is shaking.

"We-we just fini…finished the zombie off and then…Katrina pulled my arm over…with a SYRINGE in her other hand and then I…jumped back!" Emmy stutters, her voice faltering.

"Emmy, dear, honestly! I did not attempt to plunge a syringe into your arm! Please believe me!" Katrina pleads. She looks at me. "I think that she might just be hallucinating…"

"NO!" Emmy snaps. "I saw you! You were going to kill me!"

I've never seen Emmy this scared since we were sitting together in Don Paolo's flying machine after escaping the flesh-eating zombies' wrath a week or so earlier. I feel my face crease up in hatred. A syringe… Jade was killed with a syringe! If Emmy isn't making things up, then this must mean….

"What's happening?" The Professor wants to know when he has rushed up to us, the others following in concern.

"Emmy thinks that Katrina was trying to kill her," I answer.

Right now, both solutions to this mystery could be possible. We all hold our breaths. Katrina chuckles nervously.

"Everyone, I'm innocent!" She looks over to Victor. "You believe me, don't you Victor?"

Victor only fixates her with a cold stare that I've never seen him use before. It's menacing…and icy. It sends a chill down my spine.

"What about you, Clive?"

My eyes flicker between her and Emmy for a short period of time. I step beside Emmy.

"I'm sorry, Katrina, but I'm with Emmy on this one. She couldn't have made something like that up," I look down.

But what if she has? Well, I trust her enough.

Katrina knows that she is beaten. She frets, her eyes jumping around at all of us in fear. Then they finally settle on the Professor.

"Professor Layton, please believe me!" Katrina begs desperately. "I wouldn't do something like this! I'm being framed!"

However the Professor merely shakes her head. "I'm sorry, but I have to agree with everyone else at this stage."

Katrina's face falls.

"Mainly because the evidence against you is too strong," The Professor continues on and begins pacing. "I have been watching you cautiously, Katrina, and I have gathered enough information to know that _you_ are the one who killed Jade."

Silence falls onto us. No one speaks a word as Katrina watches on, half interested and half scared.

"How did you work it out, Professor?" Luke asks, an eyebrow raised.

"Simple. I first started suspecting her when we found Katrina in the Research Facility. No one knew about that Idoist location apart from Idos themselves, so what was Katrina doing hiding out there instead of other locations?" The Professor muses, and Luke nods while soaking up all of this information. "Next, she started speaking about her mysterious 'friend'. If her friend was an Ido, then surely, he wouldn't be mixing with normal humans, would he?"

Katrina folds her arms, her scared face slowly contorting into one of frustration.

"Now Luke, when we were on the hunt for Jade, who was the one who found her first?" The Professor turns to the boy.

"It was…um…Katrina!"

"Exactly. Although I may accept that as a coincidence, what she observed next struck me as suspicious. Luke my boy, what do you remember about the syringe in Jade?"

"Well Professor," Luke looks to the sky in thought, trying to remember the appearance of said object. "It was clear…and it was empty…"

The Professor grins. "There we have it, Luke! The syringe was completely drained. Katrina, what did you say after studying it?"

"Nngh…!" Katrina growls in response.

"Hm, yes. You said that the syringe was once filled with poison, did you not? Well, how could you have known that if the syringe was drained?"

Katrina's face loosens and she explodes into a fit of maniacal laughter. "GYEHEHEHEH! You worked it ALL out perfectly, Professor! You sure live up to your reputation, don't you?" She smirks, cocking her head.

"Does this mean… KATRINA? Are you the Idoist that killed off most of the world's population?" Luke demands, stepping a foot forward.

The woman cackles again. "WELL! I would LOVE to have been! BUT I didn't! I DIDN'T! It's too unfortunate. But, I do know who did! Kukukuku…! Oh yes…"

"This woman is crazy…" Lyssa whispers to Dave in fear.

"I helped to destroy the world though! I can congratulate myself on that! Kukukukuku!"

This woman…is an Idoist! She has to be a demon sent straight from hell. Who the in the damn world would feel good about murdering billions of innocent lives? But…she helped though. This means that the real Idoist is on the loose…!

"So, everyone! Feel proud of yourself for unmasking the bad guy! But just remember…it's not over yet! IT'S NOT OVER UNTIL YOU REVEAL THE REAL VILLAIN! GYAHAHAHA! WHO MIGHT THAT BE? WHO MIGHT-?"

A gunshot echoes off the walls of the hollow church. Katrina sinks to her feet, clutching her bloody stomach with both arms. She coughs up crimson, and she rolls around on the floor in agony. We all gasp. Behind us stands Victor with a gun pointed at where Katrina used to be standing. None of us say a word as we watch the woman writhe about, screaming.

"YOU LITTLE- ARGH!" She shrieks hoarsely, the life pouring out of her.

Victor shakes his head slightly and lowers the pistol to his side. He mouths something that slightly looks like 'I'm sorry'. He looks down to the floor while we have no choice but to witness the death of one of our villains.

That talk Katrina and I had earlier in the day… That poor woman really had nothing to live for, what with all the deaths in her life. Emmy clings onto my shirt, afraid. Katrina DID try to kill her after all. I can't help feel just a little bit sorry for her though, even though she helped to destroy the Earth. It's too late now, anyhow.

In the near future, the Idoist is going to confront us. When we all have each other, there will be no problem. Emmy, the Professor and I can fight, Victor has his gun and Lyssa and Flora can protect Luke and Dave. We're all a team.

But what if one person is secretly deceiving us?


	14. Last Shards of Glass

_POV: Flora_

The warm breeze floats around us, causing our hair to sway slightly as it struggles against being carried away.

Nobody has uttered a single word since the incident earlier. We exchange pitying glances at one another occasionally, but I guess everyone is still in shock. Even the Professor doesn't know what to do at a time like this, when two people close to us have reached their demise. Unfortunately, they haven't died because of the zombies. They were murdered by one of us.

Victor often toys around with his pistol with anxious fingers, trying to convince himself that he didn't just kill someone. That poor man. I guess he really had no choice but to shoot Katrina, or else she could be extremely dangerous to the rest of us. Lyssa is hugging her knees tightly with her head buried in between, and Dave is sat close to her with his head resting on her body. Lyssa doesn't even seem to mind this time like she usually would. It seems as if her mental stability has crumbled slowly ever since we met her and decided to dive deeper under the sea of mystery.

The Professor's expression is pensive whilst Luke is forlorn. They are both quite scared probably as to what might happen to them in the next day. By now the Professor surely would have come to a conclusion, right? Why would he wait to notify us all if he knows that all of our lives are at stake here? Or maybe he hasn't worked it out at all, and he's given up on life? No, Flora, be optimistic, I chastise myself with a barely audible growl under my breath. But how can anyone be optimistic in this situation? Half of us have probably already seen no point in living anymore. What is there to life now that it's all been taken away from us?

Who would be so sick as to take everything away from us? Katrina. She helped with the destruction of the human race and she was _proud_ of it. Proud! How can someone congratulate themselves over something as malicious as that? Well, there is always madness in evil. A cruel, cold-hearted madness that destroys lives, including one's own. I have never felt this amount of hatred towards anyone in my entire life. All those people out there…the families, the friends, the pets… life. Life is dead now. It is now just waiting in the dark to consume one of us.

Was it fate? Was it our destiny to just…fall dead like this? Our goal was to keep on fighting against fate, but at this rate, I think we've all given up. I don't want to, but I have. We can't win anymore. The Idoist is just too powerful.

Emmy and Clive are sat together; the thick awkwardness that was once between them is no more. They have lost all hope. Emmy is normally so brave, so strong…but is that a tear cascading down her thin cheek? Then I realise what I'm saying. There is still hope left. We WILL defeat our destiny. I shoot up and snap my fingers, making all heads turn in my direction.

"Excuse me, everyone," I announce, my voice still shaking in intimidation. I've never addressed a large crowd in such manner before, but who else would do it? "It appears as if we've lost two members of this group, but we still cannot give up in a desperate time like this."

"Give up _what?_ Everything's gone from us, anyway" Lyssa mutters, lifting her red face from her knees.

"Everything you think you may value is gone, yes. This pestilence has taken that away from you," I pause, choosing my words carefully. "But now you have new things that you value, for example, your friends. Stay alive for _them._ Have the strength to go on, and in the process, keep the thing you must value most… _life._ "

Silence falls upon the group as my words settle into their systems. After a while, Luke nods a little bit and stands up, joining my side.

"I'm with Flora," He exclaims bravely. "I don't care if there's nothing more to live for. I'm a fighter, and I'm not going to let something like this bring the apprentice of the great Professor Layton down!"

I giggle quietly, finally finding my confidence again after all these long years. I've been quiet during this whole apocalypse, not offering my assistance to anyone or anything, not helping matters at all, but that was all about to change. Flora Reinhold is about to change. For her friends, and for the world. I watch as more people decide to stand by me including Dave, Emmy and Victor. It took some persuading, but I eventually had Lyssa and Clive on my side. The only one who was still sat was the Professor who was in awe.

"Professor?" I cock my head expectantly at the man.

He shakes his head immediately. "Oh, it's nothing, Flora. I'm just…proud" He mentions with a warm smile.

And with that, he takes my hand and nods at me politely. That's that done. I've single-handedly brought the whole group to their spirits again so that we can finish our investigation with a spring in our step. Finally, finally we can do this. Professor Layton and his group never fail to uncover a mystery, even if the mystery is the largest one they have ever encountered. Nothing is bigger than the end of the world. We're still going to do this though. The epidemic has changed all of us for the better, now we are stronger and we know how to fight to get what we want. Back before this, I was quiet and I let everyone do everything for me. No more. No more 'nice' Flora. I will dedicate my life to knowing what and who caused the world to collapse, risking everything precious to me in the process.

"So now that we all know what to do, and what we're doing this for, where shall we get started?" I clap my hands together, surveying the group with interested eyes.

"Well, the real Idoist is probably coming after us all because we're not Idos or something… I suggest we be awfully quick with this investigation," Victor suggests, nodding his head. "Like the lovely young lady said, all hope is not lost!"

The joyful glint in Victor's eye has returned as he acts like the death of Katrina never actually happened. The pistol he had used on the deceased woman is still comfortably slid in his pocket, but he doesn't seem to plan on using it anytime soon, it appears. Anyway, his understanding of the situation is correct. We need to uncover the mastermind before he starts taking us down one by one. The Professor listens to all of our opinions and then begins pacing around the church, his mouth covered by his hand.

"Hmm…maybe the first destination we have to go to is the Research Facility…" He muses.

"The Research Facility? How did you come to that conclusion, Professor?" Luke inquires with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not sure…I just have a feeling the answers to what we are looking for will all unfold there…," The man replies, stroking his chin softly.

He turns to Emmy and holds her hand. "Emmy, my dear. You don't have to fight if you don't want to…"

Emmy blushes at the contact between her and the Professor, but stands her ground and sniffs. "It's alright, Professor. I can't dwell on the past forever."

I can tell that the Professor is secretly relieved that there's someone defending us. It's safe to know that we can always rely on Emmy just in case something goes slightly wrong. Clive volunteers to help with the defending, and Emmy's face lights up. What's with those two? Is there something going on between them or are they just two very close friends? My girl senses tell me that Emmy and Clive have feelings for each other, they just can't admit it.

But why? If you were in danger of dying the very same day, surely you would want to live your life to the full and confess everything? I'd want to, anyway. I never actually got to tell my mother that I loved her from my own mouth, as I was too young to care about those things. When I was told that I would never see that caring face of Mother ever again, I didn't know exactly what I'd do. I thought they were joking. I didn't actually _know._

The Professor snaps me out of my train of thought. "Very well, Clive. We'll all be off now, everyone!"

With that, we did just as instructed- follow the Professor out and through the path in the woodland to the Research Facility.

* * *

"Well, we're here," Dave observes, nodding at the tall building in front of him. How it is able to be hidden by the trees is a wonder. "Now what exactly do we do?"

The Professor says nothing but instead responds by opening the doors and hurrying inside. The rest of us exchange curious glances but follow him anyway, picking up the usual pace. I try not to pay any mind to the odour of dry blood as we scamper through the lab. I recognise the route we're taking right now from before.

This is the way we took to find Katrina moaning at the back of this. I still can't exactly put the pieces together as to why we're going here of all places. Has the Professor remembered something vital to this investigation or not? The Professor stops in front of a plain white door labelled 'EXPERIMENTATION ROOM'. Oh yes! Exactly! Before we met Katrina, she told us not to venture into here. The Professor now wants to find out why! It all clicks in my head and, judging by Victor and Luke's slow nodding of their heads, the rest of us have got it as well.

"So we're finding out what's really in here, right? Exciting!" Victor laughs and Emmy agrees.

"I've always wanted to know what that Katrina's been hiding in here, and why we couldn't go into this room."

"Yeah, but don't you think, you know, that it could be a little bit dangerous? Maybe Katrina wanted to save us from something? I say we don't go in" Lyssa mentions, folding her arms and trying to hide the fear in her eyes.

"Lyssa, man up a little, dude!" Dave cries at her, and she looks a little bit taken aback. "Inside this room could be the answer to EVERY DAMN THING! We can defeat this awesome zombie apocalypse-"

"Awesome?" Clive cuts in, raising an eyebrow.

"HELL YEAH!" Dave cheers. "Anyway, we can do it; we just need to be brave through everything! Take a chance! Make a sacrifice! We can do it!"

Lyssa stands in awe for a moment before finally nodding. She grins and ruffles Dave's hair, the nicest and friendliest act she's made toward Dave that I've ever seen. No offence to Lyssa or anything, but I never even knew she was capable of being good to that boy, what with the constant pinning-to-the-floor and jumping-on-each-other. From what I've seen now, they just appear to be like brother and sister. Like a family.

"Sure Dave, sure."

After this, we decide to open the door. The Professor takes a deep breath and then pushes it open, keeping a calm face all the way through. I often wonder how he can conceal his emotions without effort. I poke my head above the people in fronts' and gasp at the sight.

It is some sort of studio, decorated with technology from past and new eras. No one is actually in there at this moment, but the blood on the seats suggests that there was. I am not aware on how long ago these people were in here, but it would have been highly convenient to actually know. Behind the seats and tables of technology is a large sheet of transparent glass. On the other side of the glass is a plain white room, with sound-proof holes running up and down the walls. There are speakers in each corner, and a door to this room from the technology room that can be locked tightly.

Experimentation room. Could that possibly mean… _human_ experimentation?

I can't find any words in my dry throat. These Idos…they couldn't have experimented on humans, now, could they? Well, the bodies lingering and sprawled out on the floor proves otherwise. I hold my breath as I try to block the terrifying mental images out of my head. The Nazis spring to mind.

After a few silent gasps and some whispered swears, Victor begins to stutter.

"God… who the hell would do this sort of thing?" He exclaims in anger.

"Hmm… by the looks of things, the Idoist might have experimented on humans to find the 'ultimate virus' to destroy the Earth… it's just a guess of mine though" The Professor says as-a-matter-of-factly.

He doesn't sound scared in the slightest. Well, it's no surprise.

"Are there any records in here that could prove your theory correct?" Emmy wants to know, her eyes surveying the room in search of said object.

The Professor sighs when he finishes quickly scanning the room and shakes his head. "I'm afraid not, Emmy my dear."

"We've got no evidence, so basically we came here for nothing, right?" Lyssa huffs, appearing bored.

The Professor smirks at her a little bit. "Not necessarily, Lyssa. We now know that the virus that killed most of the human population was created in here. Sometimes, we don't need evidence to verify the circumstance."

Lyssa grumbles something under her breath and then we stand in silence for a while. I swear, a quarter of the time we've spent fighting in this apocalypse is in silence. Who is to cut the ribbon of an awkward quietness this time? The Professor opens his mouth to speak, which immediately answers my question.

"I say, now that we have collected enough evidence, we begin searching for the potion itself. The only place it would be is either here or in the Ido Church, so we'd better begin our search."

"No way…"Dave breathes. "You mean…we're actually going to _find_ the thing that took away our normal lives?"

"It's the only option we have" The brown-clad man replies grimly, hiding his eyes with the rim of his chocolate top hat.

The rest of us shrug our shoulders and then decide to do as the Professor tells us to, yet again. He is the leader of our pack, and we mustn't disobey him or it may cost us our lives. So, with that, we search. High and low, under cabinets, left and right, on top of tables… so far there's nothing. We find potions, yes, but nothing much else. We don't take the risk to testing on each other, so how do we know which one does what? There is actually no way of knowing, so we just leave the potions be.

While examining the tables, I stand near Emmy and Clive, who happen to be talking. I can't help but eavesdrop when my curiosity gets the better of me.

"So, where do you think this potion could be?"

Clive asks the most basic question. Hah, well, what other question is there to ask apart from obvious ones that everyone can predict the answers to? Emmy sighs and shakes her head in defeat. She hangs it in the process.

"Nn, I honestly don't know the answer to that. It's got to be somewhere in here, or in the Ido Church…well duh, that's what the Professor said anyway."

I hear her chuckle at the end of her sentence. Clive nods, and from the quiet that follows them after, I can tell that he has nothing more to say on the matter.

"Look, Emmy," He breathes and then turns around to face her. "…I got to tell you something."

Said girl only looks at the man with interested eyes. "Mm?"

Clive seems to hesitate as he bites his lip anxiously. "Ah…well… this whole thing…epidemic has made me realise…."

"Go on!" She beckons with a beam.

The man rubs the back of his head and chuckles nervously, trying to find his words. "Well, I just got to tell you…that I kind of…uh… I love-"

What I don't realise is that I've been absent-mindedly stepping back all this time. I slip on a piece of paper and fall backwards on my bottom, screeching loudly with flailing arms. Emmy and Clive instantly rush to my side as I groan. Now my body hurts.

"Are you alright, Flora?" Emmy asks in concern, holding my limp hand.

I sit up and rub my head. "I'm quite alright, thank you, but that was quite a fall!"

"Be more careful next time!" Clive lectures with a laugh, wagging a finger at my face.

I stand and laugh with him, my cheeks glowing red in embarrassment. The Professor and Luke come over to us and so does Victor. Lyssa and Dave are still searching. It appears that they still haven't given up, even knowing that finding the virus in here would be impossible.

"Is everything alright over here? We heard someone fall over" Victor pushes in his glasses.

"I did, but I'm fine now. Thank you everyone for your concern" I wave my hand dismissively, trying not to make a spectacle of myself.

I hate being embarrassed!

Soon enough, my peers shrug it off and then resume their investigation.

"It looks as if it won't be in here" Luke states the obvious, sighing.

The Professor wants to object but he doesn't, and accepts the facts instead. "It seems as if you are correct, Luke. At this stage, the Ido Church might not be an option either."

"What? But where else would it be?" Lyssa pipes up, joining in on the conversation.

"I have to confess, I really don't have an idea" The Professor admits.

"But it's sacred, isn't it? Idoists surely would keep it safe?" Emmy narrows her eyebrows and purses her lips in confusion.

There is a sudden glow in the Professor's eye. He jumps up, almost excitedly, and then rubs the rim of his hat knowingly. He closes his eyes with a smile. "Of course! I can't believe I forgot about this! Do you recall how in the Sacrenaught, it instructs for the destroyer of the world to keep the 'sacred' item in the church?"

"Oh yeah! And the Idos can't betray the Sacrenaught, else they'd be evil! Great once again, Professor!" Luke congratulates, nodding his head.

"I guess that means that our investigation in the Research Facility ends here, doesn't it?" Clive already knows the answer to the question, he just asks it to verify the fact.

"Right you are, my boy" The Professor grins, and then we start to head for the door.

I am feeling a little bit tired after frantically moving about all day, but I just fight that feeling of fatigue because I know that laziness may cost me dearly. We step out into the forest again, and observe the setting sun in the horizon. A few minutes later, the red haze disappears from the sky and is replaced with a dark one. My eyes struggle to work under these conditions, and right now I am silently wishing that someone has a light with them. Unfortunately for all of us, no one does. We need to get back to the church as soon as possible, especially as the Idoist could strike, or a zombie could have wandered out here.

My train of thought is interrupted again when I unexpectedly trip slightly. My breathing quickens as my footsteps become uneven. Luckily, no one notices, so I can save myself the embarrassment. I peer down to my feet and see that the laces to my black trainers are undone. I sigh and bend down to tie them up again. I slide one lace into the other, tying the two into a perfect knot after a while. I then begin work on the other foot. After tying my laces successfully, I stand back up to resume the journey back to the Ido Church. As I observe the path ahead of me, I gasp as I realise something.

_They're gone._

They…they can't be gone! I can't be left here, alone with anything ready to attack me, in a deserted forest! It's soon going to be darkness, and I won't be able to see a thing! All of these negative thoughts of panic flood through my brain in one single wave. My breathing is no longer steady as my heart thunders through my chest like a stampede. _Alright, alright Flora,_ I try to calm myself. _Just go onwards as fast as you can. You'll catch up with them soon enough. They can't be that far ahead, can't they?_ I nod to myself and then I bite my lip nervously. What if a zombie finds me out here? What if an Idoist kills me? What if I get lost? What if I'll never see the Profe-

Footsteps.

I freeze on the spot, frightened tears welling up in my eyes. I'm going to die here. But…perhaps it's just an animal of some kind? Yeah that's it. Just a poor little puppy, trying to find its owners helplessly… With this relieving thought in my head, I continue onward down the path, but my pace is slightly quicker this time.

More footsteps.

This definitely isn't a dog right now, nor a mere figment of my imagination. It's an actual _person._ A person… after me! He lunges out at me from behind a bush, one arm outstretched, and luckily I leap out of the way in time. The figure falls to the dirty ground and then glares up at me. It's too dark to see who it actually is, but I do know that this man is after me and I should _run_. I turn on my heel and begin to sprint as fast as I can, leaping over logs and twigs. The man isn't far behind me. I can hear him pant and breathe as he gains on me. It isn't long before he catches me and then does whatever he wants. The thought of that makes me shudder, but I can't afford to be caught off guard right now.

Our footsteps crunch on the fallen leaves and echo through the empty forest. He charges after me and his fingers barely brush against my shoulder. I then have an idea. Will it work? It's time to find out. I suddenly leap to the side, jerking my body away from the man's grasp. He resumes his run, being too fast to stop, and then trips over a log. He flies into the air and lands on his front with a loud thud. He swears as he rubs his head. I use this time to scamper in front of him, my legs turning to jelly. I can see the light just ahead of me. Yes! I'm not too far away from my destination!

The man is still hunting me down, only this time he has retrieved something from his pockets. I can't turn around fully to see what it is, but I soon get to find out. An object slices through the air, just missing my head by an inch. A knife glides beside me and then curves into a perfect arch, stabbing the ground as it lands. My eyes widen at the sight of the weapon and then try to run faster, but I can't. I have never been taught to run like this ever before, as I am a Baroness. As I near it, the structure of the Ido Church comes into view. The man seems to be out of weapons but he slows down, making the distance between him and I far greater.

"FLORA!" A voice cries from inside the building.

I know that voice! That's Luke's voice! I race up to the heavy wooden doors, pull them open, jump inside and heave them shut. They slam behind me. I sink to my knees, panting heavily. I cough and splutter, my heart bursting through my chest. Everyone rushes to my side and bends down to my current level with clear worry on their faces.

"My word! What happened to you, Flora dear?" The Professor almost demands.

"I… There's a man…chasing…me…outside…" I breathe, my throat raw.

I feel as if I'm suffering a bad asthma attack, even though I'm not asthmatic. Emmy and Clive nod at each other once, spring up and then run out of the door. Emmy slides her weapon out from her back and prepares to fight.

"What did this man look like?" Victor wants to know.

"I…I don't know…He had…he had a knife!" My voice begins to crack at the end of my sentence.

"A knife? He used it at you, didn't he?" Luke says with narrowed eyes.

I can only nod as a reply, as I can't say much else. I'm just relieved that I managed to escape that man's clutches, and that is the only thing coursing through my mind right now. That, and the fact that I desperately need some rest. The Professor almost reads my mind and picks me up. He carries me to one of the pews and places a cushion under my head. I exhale deeply and lie limp on the cold wood, before I hear the wooden door creak open in front of me. I open one heavy eye to observe what's going on.

"He's gone," Clive breaks the news with a solemn shake of his head. "We can't find the man."

"But," Emmy retrieves a glinting metal object from her strap that isn't her usual weapon. "We _did_ find this. It's the knife that the man supposedly threw at Flora. We found it stabbed into the ground."

I gasp and then clench my fists. Who would do such a thing like that? Maybe it's the Idoist! Who else would try their hardest to kill me? I want to stay awake for as long as I can to hear the conversation. I thought there were no other survivors other than us in this area! Someone walks over and then hovers over my body. I glance up at this person.

"Are you alright Flora?" He asks, bending down to my face.

"Y-yeah…I guess now…Thanks."

"No problem!" Luke winks. "Hey, Flora…I'm glad you're okay."

I give the boy a small, friendly smile. "Thank you Luke."

"Yeah…thanks to you, Flora, I now have hope that we'll survive through this zombie apocalypse."

"We sure will."

"And don't get left behind again!" He teases, sticking his tongue out at me.

Luke leaves to talk with the rest of the group, leaving me to rest. I really don't want to fall asleep, but my fatigue gets the better of me, and I soon find myself going under…

* * *

"Flora?" A voice calls. "Flora!"

I feel my shoulder being shaken by a rough hand. I twitch and stir for a bit, groaning. I wonder how long I was asleep for. With one large stretch, I open my heavy eyelids to face the blue-clad boy who has been trying to wake me up.

"What is it?" I moan drowsily, resting the back of my hand on my forehead.

Luke's face is lit up, excited even. A wide grin is plastered on his small face as he bounds up and down slightly on the spot.

"We found it!"

"Found what?"

"The virus!" Luke tells me and my drowsiness disappears.

I shoot up from my sleeping position and widen my eyes in interest. "Seriously? I missed it? How long have I been asleep for?"

Luke turns his head to his side and peers out one stain glass window. Light is shining through them at the moment, signifying that it must be around morning right now. He studies the window and then looks back to me.

"All night, I think. We spent most of last night searching for it, but found nothing apart from more diary entries and child books. But this morning, we discovered a secret door in the room where the beds are, and there it was!" Luke sits beside me on the pew.

I soak in this information with a slow, nodding head. "Secret door, huh? Interesting…"

It indeed is. This Ido Church seems to be full of mysteries and secrets. Well, according to legend, it _is_ an ancient building. I fiddle with my hands and listen to Luke go on about it. Apparently he was the one who discovered the virus there, and that he knew it was the virus because it 'looked' like it. Also, apparently, it is the only weapon in this church that looks like it could kill every single human. It's definitely that virus. I smile at Luke.

Even though we've bickered countless times in the past, he's still a little brother to me. He's always been there, and he will always be my friend. I'm glad that he has the spirit to go on for all of us, even when life is at its worst. Luke will stay here with me forever, bringing joy to everyone's lives. Normally I wouldn't think something like that, but since I might die tomorrow, it's nice to at least appreciate someone whilst they're there.

"Yeah, I know right? This sounds like something out of the movies! The vial was blue, and the contents were green! Ew, green!" Luke sticks his tongue out in disgust and retches at the thought of a green virus.

I giggle at him before realising that it is just me and him in an empty church. I blink once.

"Hey, Luke? Where are the others?" I want to know, examining the room.

The boy's head nudges upstairs. "They're just upstairs, reading more pages out of that Sacrenaught thing. I came down here to check on you."

I feel the blood rush to my cheeks. "You…came to check on me?"

"That's what I just said!" Luke cheers, giving me a thumbs up.

I nod with a genuine smile and then ruffle the boy's brown hair. He laughs and then playfully smacks my hand away. It's moments like these that I want to last forever, yet I know they can't. I laugh back at Luke and then he stands up, dusting himself off.

"Let's play tag!" He exclaims.

"Tag?" I cock my head.

I've never heard of this game before. When I was a little girl growing up in St Mystere, no one would actually want to play child games with me. Everyone in the village, _my_ village, was very kind indeed. But not one played with me. Lady Dahlia often made an effort to give me a proper childhood, but her efforts never actually made a difference. The only times when I actually had fun were when I was playing in the theme park, on the ferris wheel especially. Bruno had some of the child robots play with me, but it wasn't the same as having a real friend.

"Tag! You must have heard of it!" Luke sighs when he sees my perplexed face. "Very well then, I'll explain. It's when someone's 'it' and you have to catch the other person that's running away from you so that the other person can be 'it'!"

I tilt my head. "Oh right! This sounds like a very simple game. Why did you request to play it all of a sudden?"

Luke looks up to the ceiling of the church and then shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know, really. I just want to have some fun, and I'm also kind of bored. Want to play?"

I nod a little bit and then run a hand through my brown hair, waiting to start.

"Good, because you're 'it'!" Luke smirks, tapping me lightly on the shoulder and running away to the front of the church.

So…I'm supposed to run after him now? My competitive spirit kicks in as I watch him dart away from me.

"Not for long, Triton!" I call after him and then begin to chase him as fast as I can.

I eventually am able to reach out and touch him on the head, and then we skid to a halt. He turns on his heel and then begins to head for me. We chortle as we chase each other, and I finally know how to play with other children now. I'm actually having fun doing this with Luke! I decide to treasure these moments the most.

"Flora Reinhold, I'm coming after you!" He yells and I leap over some steps and mats, being careful not to slip and embarrass myself.

Luke tags me in the end, and then I start to run after him with a large toothy smile. I'm pretty sure girls my age actually don't play games like this, but now its fun, spending quality time with your adoptive brother and enjoying it. Never again will I do this with someone else, so I'm trying to make the experience last forever.

We run through the whole hall of the church, tagging each other and laughing. I am so close to hitting Luke again, but something stops me. As I run, I bump into a figure. I stumble back and regain my balance by extending my arms out beside me. I have bumped into the figure of Victor.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you?" He bites the back of his fist anxiously. "Really sorry, dear Flora! I didn't mean to!"

I chuckle at the bespectacled man. "It's quite alright, Victor. I should be the one apologizing for my carelessness."

"Ha-ha, well, in that case then you're thoroughly forgiven!"

Luke strides up to us, half proud of himself and half puffed out. "It looks like I won again!" He boasts.

I sigh with a smile. "Luke, was the real reason why you wanted me to play with you that you knew you were going to win and wanted to achieve victory?"

Luke scoffs and rolls his eyes. "N-no! I just wanted to have some fun, that's all! Tch!"

"Yeah…right…"

His statement is fairly unconvincing, but I decide to go along with it anyway. I bring my gaze up to Victor this time and look at him expectantly. He returns the gaze before realising what I'm trying to say.

"Oh sorry, I'm just here because we have finished reading and now they're all having a giant discussion. I think all of us have our theories now who the Idoist is…," Victor's last sentence is mentioned gravely.

"Who do you think it is, Victor?" Luke wants to know, looking up at the man innocently.

Victor sighs and shakes his head. "I'm not too sure, but I think maybe the Idoist isn't in this group. What with the incident with Flora yesterday. We all trust each other, so I doubt that it's someone here. What about you guys?"

"I understand where you're coming from, Victor, but at this stage I must say that I honestly don't know. I thought that it was someone in this group at first, but then there was a man or woman outside trying to kill Flora… no one else would have a reason to try to kill her, so I suspect that that man was an Idoist," Luke states what is currently on his mind. "But I can't shake the feeling that when we reveal who he or she really is, there's going to be a huge commotion."

Victor nods and cleans the lens of his glasses with his sleeve. "I see. Personally, I am indeed afraid for what might happen to this group. We can't go outside or else we might be attacked, and we can't stay inside or else we also might be attacked. Nowhere is safe for us. Now those zombies are the least of our troubles."

We agree with everything Victor has just said and then we sit down on the pews again. The rest of the group soon comes down to the church hall and joins us on the seats. We talk about what they have found up there, but nothing is actually that important to mention, aside from the fact that they found the virus behind a hidden door. The Sacrenaught didn't say much else apart from preaching how great Idoists are, so now we use this time to catch up and discuss who we think the Idoist is.

"To find who the Ido is, they have to have had a boring childhood, right?" Dave asks, tracing light circles on the wood out of boredom.

"Yes, that's right," Victor confirms. "And they must be pretty hesitant to solve this case as well."

"This person would probably not be used to being around people who are not Idoists,"The Professor adds.

"And they might have some control over people…at least that's what the Sacrenaught said" Emmy chips in, tapping her lip in thought.

We all are quiet for a moment as we think for quite a bit. This is before Luke slowly stands up and starts to pace. We watch on, waiting to see what he has to say. Luke's face is serious and grim, and he finally speaks after a while.

"Judging by all of those conditions…I know who the Idoist is."

We gasp.

"Luke my boy, how did you possibly work it out?" The Professor is _shocked._ Probably because his young 'apprentice' decided who the culprit to the mystery was before him.

"Simple. Studying the activity that each of you displayed over a period of time, then matching the suspicious acts to the conditions…it makes perfect sense now. Someone has been betraying us all this time" Luke answers with closed eyes.

Everyone in the room tenses as an uneasy atmosphere sweeps over the entire room. We wait for Luke to finally reveal who the culprit is.

"And the Idoist…," He turns around and whips out a judging finger at a figure sat on a pew to his right.

"Is you!"

"…"


	15. CONFESSIONS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starting from this chapter onwards, the POV is in third-person.

Lyssa stares at the finger pointing at her with wide, shocked and extremely confused eyes. The inhabitants of the church all hold their breaths while Luke remains in his accusing position. He glares at the traitor with stern eyes. Lyssa opens her mouth to speak, but no words come out. Everyone is silent. Dave mouths a 'how could you?' at the girl, but Lyssa is still. She doesn't provide a response to anyone, as she is too frozen to speak.

"Luke my boy," Layton finally breaks the silence with a twitching eye. "How did you reach that conclusion?"

Luke sighs and lowers his arm down to his side. He paces with a hand covering his mouth and closed eyes, mimicking the style of his mentor.

"Well Professor," Luke answers, all playfulness from earlier somehow disappearing from his tone. "Like you did with Katrina, I have been watching Lyssa for quite some time now. The girl is the dominator of her group, when it should be Victor."

The blue-clad boy brushes past Flora, who is looking at him expectantly, eager to know how he decided that Lyssa was the one who destroyed the world. Her eyes are curious. Emmy and Clive's eyes flicker between Lyssa and Luke, trying to fit the pieces together themselves. Victor finds Luke's statement hard to believe, and his eye twitches to demonstrate so. How could the green-haired girl be the one behind all this?

"But why should it be me?" Victor raises an eyebrow. "The teenagers have as much say as anyone else in this!"

"True," Luke nods. "But teenagers don't have as much control over adults. And adults don't let the teenagers. Especially in this situation."

"What if I think Lyssa's ideas are better than mine?" Victor argues, standing up. "What if I'm just too scared to speak for myself? Can you blame me, at a time like this?"

Luke pauses, carefully choosing his next words so the man won't catch him out in his next sentence.

"No, sir, I can't say that I do. I, for one, am extremely scared for my life- all of our lives- in these circumstances as well. But nobody lets a young, undisciplined teenage girl completely take over them. When we were reading the Sacrenaught earlier, this was one of the commands that it told the Idoists to do- fool or dominate your peers until finding a way to fulfil the Great Kontu's request."

Luke glances over at Lyssa, who still doesn't say anything. She wants to protest, but just can't find the strength to. She was extremely surprised, as she has been accused with the largest crime anyone in the world could ever commit in a lifetime. Her breathing is quiet but unsteady at the same time. Her heartbeat quickens the longer the silence drags on, and realization kicks into the group.

"That could just be a coincidence though! Lyssa could just be like that, that's just her character!" Dave splutters, shooting a hand out towards said girl in an attempt to defend her.

"Hm...," Luke says nothing else on the matter and then faces the group again to make his second statement.

"Well then, how to you explain Lyssa's reluctance to move the mystery on? It has come to my attention that she hasn't contributed once to this case. Not to mention the hesitation to enter the Experimentation Room. Lyssa has been hiding something from us all."

Lyssa closes her eyes. Maybe out of defeat, maybe out of pain… so far no one knows. She sighs and purses her lips, before opening them again. Emptiness and darkness glows in her eyes, and this trait catches the attention of a certain Professor.

"Is this true…Lyssa?" Dave whispers, his voice suddenly pained.

The rest of the group watches Lyssa's blank visage, eager to know the truth. Lyssa hangs her head and then twitches it up and down, nodding slightly. She almost appears…guilty. The whole room gasps. Victor doesn't say a word.

Lyssa lifts up her head to reveal bloodshot eyes. Mascara trickles down her cheeks, causing her to appear more broken than ever.

"Why…?" Flora mouths, barely able to find her voice.

Flora had heard great things from Jade when she was still alive, about when Lyssa had saved them all from zombies quite a few times and such… but the green-haired girl's reputation is starting to deteriorate.

Flora realises that Lyssa and Katrina had been working together all this time, and so that Lyssa was the one who ordered Katrina to kill Jade…Flora's best friend! Flora feels a new hatred bubbling inside of her. She grits her teeth in rage and then shoots a furious glare at Lyssa.

Lyssa sees this and sighs. "…I suppose you all want an explanation now, right?"

Everyone nods, not to Lyssa's surprise. She avoids eye contact with each of them and then begins to start her story.

* * *

"I was only a little girl when 'it' happened. I saw the world in an optimistic light, and everything was just…perfect."

_A young Lyssa looked out over the word with a content smile. Her hands rested on the railings as she watched the village at its normal stance. Her parents were out shopping and she was out playing until they came back. Lyssa's house wasn't too far away, and she could return any time she wanted. Her friends were not in today, and she couldn't help but wonder why. Well, the sun was beating down on England, so Lyssa wasn't surprised that parents wanted to take their families out for the day._

_But she didn't mind being alone. Lyssa had the beautiful village as her friend, and nothing could take that away from her. She admired the sky as the clouds swam over her. One looked like a bunny rabbit, she thought, examining the shape of a cloud with squinted eyes. Giggling, Lyssa skipped away to relax on a large rock, shading her eyes from the sun. She was sitting in the forest now, feeling the cool breeze fight the heat in the air. Lyssa drew a breath with a large, toothy grin._

_"Melyssa?" A child's voice rang in her ears._

_The little girl felt a tapping on her bare arm, and her eyes fluttered open to face the sight of her best friend, Kerry. Kerry was the same age as Lyssa, with a young face and shoulder-length brown hair in contrast to Lyssa's waist-length raven black locks. They both wore dresses to the knees, exposing their bare skin to the sunlight._

_"Eh?" Lyssa covered her eyes from the sun and pulled herself up. "Kerry, I told you, my name isn't Melyssa!"_

_"It is though!" Kerry waggled a finger in her face playfully. "You just like to rebel against it! It's a pretty name, why don't you like it, Lyssa?"_

_Lyssa stuck her tongue out in disgust and her face contorted into a repulsive one. "It's so…icky! It sounds like the name girly girls would get!"_

_"But you are a girl, so…" Kerry mused, tapping a finger to her lip._

_Lyssa gave a cold glare at Kerry, mentally sending her messages to shut up. The girl laughed nervously in denial before finally changing the subject. Lyssa scooted over on the rock, leaving some room for Kerry to join her. She did so, and the two girls lay next to each other while enjoying the day together._

"Back then, I had a friend called Kerry. Kerry was a really close friend of mine. We did everything together, and she was always with me. We were best friends through everything. On that day, we were playing."

_"Hey Kerry?" Lyssa asked suddenly, breaking the peaceful silence._

_"Yeah?"_

_"We'll always be best friends, huh?"_

_Kerry nodded once. "Sure! Even when we're old grannies!"_

_Lyssa giggled at the thought of the two as old ladies, sitting together in a retirement home and reminiscing about old times. When they were old, would they remember this time? What would happen to them both in their lives anyway? Kerry wanted to be a famous singer when she grew up, and Lyssa couldn't help but fantasize about herself being an author sometime. She'd write a book about Kerry and her, and their adventures together. She'd make them both witches, so they'd have magic to conjure themselves into ridiculous situations._

_"Hey Kerry, let's play a game!" Lyssa cheered, shooting up and placing a proud hand on her hip._

_"What kind of game?" Kerry wanted to know, interested._

_"Ooh, let's play an old one- hide and seek!"_

_"But there's nowhere to hide!" Kerry complained, searching around the forest._

_"Yeah there is! Look, I'll count first, and then you can hide!" Lyssa announced, already pressing her front into a tree and covering her eyes._

_"Yeah, but-!" Kerry was interrupted by Lyssa's loud 'One! Two! Three!' and realized that she had to run before Lyssa reached thirty._

_Kerry scampered away and scanned the area desperately for somewhere to hide. She attempted to climb into a tree, but fell back down. Kerry eventually settled down behind a rock not too far away, panting heavily. She wiped a bead of sweat away from her forehead and sighed. Her throat burned for water, but she pushed that need away for now; Lyssa couldn't find her no matter what! Kerry breathed heavily, unaware of the crackling of leaves behind her. Her ears perked up, her heart rate increased and her body froze when she finally heard it._

_Before Kerry could turn to face it, she let out a scream as the demon pounced and tackled her to the ground._

_"…found you!" Lyssa smiled as she sat on top of her best friend._

_"Lyssa!" Kerry shrieked. "You really scared me!"_

_"Heh heh!" Lyssa scratched her cheek. "Why thank you!"_

_"That wasn't a compliment!"_

_"Haha, well, it's your turn to count now!" Lyssa stood up and whipped out a finger at Kerry. "I'll be waiting!"_

_Kerry rolled her eyes in defeat and then lay on the crisp green grass, counting in monotone. Meanwhile, Lyssa was running as fast as she could. She bounded up a tree, using all of her strength to climb it. She pulled herself up to one of the branches and used the leaves to obscure her green dress. Her black hair blended into the brown branches as some sort of bird's nest. Lyssa held her breath and waited for Kerry to come searching for her._

_"…twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty! Here I come, ready or not!" Kerry shouted, and then dragged herself to each corner of the forest._

_Lyssa was nowhere to be found. Kerry's forehead creased as she wondered where her best friend could be hiding. She stood under a tree to cool herself down from the sun. She pondered for a moment, before feeling the texture of fabric on her face. Kerry jumped back, surprised, and heard shifting from the tree that she was slumped under. Her eyes followed the direction of the sound, and they fell upon the tree. She also noticed the familiar dark green fabric draped over a branch, and the strands of black hair hanging over a few leaves._

_Kerry chuckled darkly under her breath and stepped quietly forward. Reaching up, she tugged on the fabric gently. Lyssa, however, was caught off-guard and jumped at the sensation of something pulling her down. She yelped and then lost her balance and grip on the branches. Kerry didn't have much time to react before her best friend came tumbling out of the tree, landing right on top of HER._

_"Ow! Lyssa!" Kerry groaned, rubbing her head that had been previously pushed to the ground._

_Luckily, they hadn't landed on concrete, or else both girls would be suffering extreme consequences right now._

_"T'wasn't my fault!" Lyssa protested. "If you hadn't pulled me, then I wouldn't have fallen!"_

_"Gah…" Kerry rolled her eyes again and, with all the might that hadn't been knocked out of her, forced Lyssa's body off of her own._

_The two girls dusted themselves off after regaining their balance. There was no one else in the forest to witness the game, just the two of them. Kerry sighed and then straightened her posture, cracking her back._

_"So, what do we do now?"_

_"I don't know. I gotta wait until my parents come back from the shops in the main city."_

_The only shopping centre around was in London itself, where it was busiest. The village that Kerry and Lyssa resided in was just on the outskirts of the city, and there was hardly any business set up there apart from quaint little shops that everyone got their daily needs and hygiene products from._

_An idea suddenly clicked into Kerry's head. "Hey, why don't we go to London and meet up with your Mum and Dad?"_

"Kerry requested we go to the main city of London. I felt a little bit hesitant, but agreed in the end. I wasn't even sure if we were allowed, and I had an itching feeling that we weren't."

_"Uh, Kerry, are you sure? We might get in trouble for it…" Lyssa mumbled, stroking her chin in thought._

" _Hey! And I thought Lyssa never turned down an offer to an adventure haha!" Kerry smirked playfully._

_"W-wait!" Lyssa stuttered. "I'm not turning it down! I just don't want to get told off, that's all! Let's go right now!"_

_Lyssa, at the time, thought the idea of going into the city was exciting and fun-filled, but she never knew how dangerous the streets of London really were… She and Kerry set off to the city of London right away. It wouldn't be that long of a journey if they went through the forest, so that's what they planned to do. After a good half an hour, Lyssa and Kerry emerged through the bushes, pushing past each other to get into the sunlight._

_"Yay! We're here!" Kerry cheered, pumping her fist into the air._

_"I still haven't gotten over how different it looks from the village" Lyssa mused, admiring the structure of buildings._

_The silhouette of Big Ben was in the background, surrounded by famous other London landmarks, such as the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye and the Gherkin. Kerry and Lyssa were so high up, they could see it all. They were currently stood on top of a hill, not too steep, which was decorated with many apartment buildings._

_"Mum and Dad normally go shopping around this area" Lyssa told Kerry, who acknowledged this information._

_"Let's find them!" Kerry smiled, taking Lyssa's arm and running with her down the path._

_"But wait, Kerry, what if we're not allowed to be here? We'll get grounded for sure!" Lyssa spoke, shuddering to think of what punishment she'd receive for deceiving her own parents._

_"Wow, Lyssa, you're changing your character fast, aren't you? I thought you didn't care about this sort of thing?"_

_"Yeah, well…I don't want to disobey my parents, that's all…"Lyssa answered truthfully, running a weary hand through her hair._

_Kerry stared at Lyssa for a period of time, before nodding slowly. Kerry agreed that her parents would be extremely furious at her as well, and that they should go back. Their adventure was fun while it lasted, anyway._

_"Wait…!" Lyssa grabbed Kerry's shoulder, pulling her to a halt. "Just because we can't see my parents doesn't mean we can't have an adventure!"_

_Kerry was confused at first, but Lyssa soon explained that they could look around the area of London they were in instead of just searching for her parents. They didn't have to know. The two girls would just be ten minutes, twenty at the maximum, before they would go home to the village and act as if nothing had happened. This was perfect!_

_Kerry and Lyssa wandered around the suburban London as curious as two small mice. Other people walked beside them on the pavement, but they didn't care. They just scampered excitedly down the path, not exactly sure where they were to be headed. They stopped outside of a building to catch their breaths, when they heard a rather mysterious crackling emitting from the top floor._

_"Woah…do you hear that, Lyss?" Kerry asks to her best friend, freezing in her tracks._

_"Yeah! What is that?"_

_"I dunno…but it sounds strange…let's go before something happens. I'll have you know, I'm having a roast dinner tonight!" Kerry turns on her heel to go back into the forest, but Lyssa stops her._

_"We could investigate it though, Kerry! Who knows, there could be criminals up there! We could catch them and report them to the police and then we'd be heroes! Can you imagine?" Lyssa laughs proudly, sticking her chest out._

_Kerry hesitates and purses her lips together. She catches sight of Lyssa's 'puppy-dog' eyes and then decides to agree with the seven-year-old. They both stepped away from the crackling apartment to think. As the crackling and buzzing grew louder, the children exchanged worried glances and grimaced._

"Upon arriving at the main area of London, we decided to stay in the suburban area. We heard strange sounds from the building to our side, and the sounds increased in volume. We knew this wasn't good. And we were right. 'It' happened faster than anyone could imagine."

_The flames rose. Smoke was the only substance inhaled as firemen jumped out of their vehicles and rushed to the buildings. Screams and cries of Londoners rang through the afternoon. Desperate people searched for their loved ones, the men cried for water and the women clung onto their children. It was truly a devastating sight. Many bodies were wheeled into ambulances as the ash clouded over the sky. To think that minutes ago, this area was beautiful._

_Amongst this all, there was a young seven-year old. Her eyes were wide with tears, her mouth was gaping open and she was frozen on the spot._

_"K…Ke…Kerry…?" She rasped, her voice barely leaving her mouth._

_Those words weren't heard by anyone else, but they were the words to trigger the realization in Lyssa's mind. The realization that her friend was missing._

_"KERRY?" Lyssa screamed. "KERRY, WHERE ARE YOU?"_

_She grasped her hair tightly with her hands, struggling to find her breath. Her heart pounded in her chest as she collapsed to her knees. "No no no!"_

_Lyssa expected Kerry to skip out of the cloud of smoke and rush over to hug her. But that didn't happen. That never happened. Lyssa tried to scream as many times as she could, but it was no use._

_Kerry just wouldn't come back._

_Lyssa bit her lip so aggressively it drew blood. She buried her distraught face into her palms, sobbing loudly. Where was Kerry? Was she searching for Lyssa? No, that couldn't be the case; the area was too small for her to get lost. That thought worried Lyssa more than anything else. And what would her parents say when they found she had been to London and had almost died? Lyssa couldn't face them._

_She wanted to stay here forever, to find Kerry. Lyssa tried asking around, but nobody would listen to her. Everyone else was too busy with their own problems, as they all had suffered a mental shock._

_How many people had died? How many people were injured? How many people were missing? Kerry was among one of the missing. What if Lyssa could never find her again? What if…she had to live her whole life without Kerry, her only best friend? Somehow, no matter how many times Lyssa refused to believe it, Kerry was probably dead._

_"It was all my fault…!" Lyssa shrieked. "If I hadn't begged her to stay, then she wouldn't be dead!"_

_"I need to be with her! I need to apologize!" She decided. "I'll come back soon, but now I need to go to heaven to apologize!"_

_Lyssa jumped into the flames. Or rather, she tried to. A hand pulled her back from the scene, and she struggled in the person's grasp._

"The explosion happened. Kerry was among the deceased ones and I was one of the survivors. I realised that her death was entirely my fault, and I tried to commit suicide to be with her. I was stopped by a boy, who offered me the strangest thing…"

* * *

"Well? What did he offer you?" Emmy asks expectantly, the venom dripping from her tone.

Lyssa sighs heavily and closes her eyes, biting her lip. "…the chance to not face my parents with the guilt again. The chance to become an Ido…" She opens them and stares ahead. "…And that's how it all began."

"Lyssa…but …why?" Dave's voice cracks.

Lyssa gives a false, hollow laugh. "Well… I was insane. I wish there were police here, so I could turn myself in…"

"But there isn't! Because you destroyed them all!" Emmy raises her voice angrily, glaring at Lyssa with more hatred than she's ever felt before.

"Calm yourself, Emmy," The Professor scolds.

"Well then!" Luke says finally. "It seems as if the villain has confessed to her sin! What do you have to say about this deduction, Professor?"

"Very good, Luke, it seems as if Lyssa has in fact confessed, as you said…," The Professor nods in approval, and Luke grins widely. "…but your statement is actually false."

The entire room gasped. What was the Professor saying?

"…do explain," Clive beckons after a long and awkward silence.

The Professor stood up and replaced his apprentice in the means of pacing with the answer safely tucked away behind his lips.

"Yes, I shall. Lyssa's story is true, I must admit. Her best friend at the time, Kerry, was one of the ten who perished in the same blast that killed Clive's parents and…Claire. However, was I the only one who noticed that the ending of that story just didn't 'add up'? Lyssa is still hiding the truth from us, I'm afraid. She didn't become an Idoist for that reason.

…in fact…She _never_ became an Idoist at all…"

"I knew Lyssa was innocent!" Dave exclaims proudly.

"What?" Luke stammers. "B-but she just said-!"

"Yes," The Professor nods. "Lyssa did indeed say that she did. But what we don't know, or what she wants to hide from us, is the fact that she's protecting someone."

After this has been said, nobody dares to speak. They all are tense, ready for the true answer. The Professor suddenly whips around and thrusts out a finger.

"And the one that should be blamed is YOU!"

Lyssa sighs and hides her face with her palms. Everyone's stare follows the Professor's finger to…

"Victor?" Luke cries, his eyes wide.

"Huh?" Victor gasps. "Wh-what?"

"Victor had Lyssa cover him if he ever was found. He had coaxed her into working for him, and had threatened her if she didn't do as he said" The Professor explained coldly.

"How did you work THAT out?" Emmy demands, completely shocked.

It seems as if the whole room wants to know exactly the same thing.

"Very well. I'll start from the beginning" The Professor announces, clearing his throat.

"From where Lyssa's story left off, Victor had come to her with the option of not facing her parents with the guilt. He had her grow to trust him, as Victor was only a teenager himself and could act as a brotherly figure to her. He supported Lyssa in every way when she was a young girl, and when Lyssa was old enough to understand, Victor explained his plan to her.

She opposed the idea at first, but Victor kept pressing on, eventually achieving his goal of getting Lyssa to work with him. All Lyssa had to do was make it obvious that she was the culprit, protect Victor and act like a completely different person. Lyssa has been devoted to Victor ever since, trying to fulfil his every need. Maybe she does this because if she fails, then she would be severely punished. The Lyssa that has been joining us on our investigation is, in fact, not the 'real' Lyssa. Victor has purposely made her appear this way.

Victor himself has been quite the actor as well as Lyssa. I should have detected him earlier, but there was not enough evidence. Now that there is, I can confidently say that he is the Idoist. Do you all recall how, when we were in the Research Facility, Victor remarked that he kept all of his concoctions into a blue vial? Well, might I mention that the virus was found in a blue vial. Didn't anyone realise this?

With the situation concerning Katrina, Victor was the one to end her life. But, right before she revealed who the Idoist actually was? That was far too suspicious. My guess is that Victor and Katrina were working together as well as him and Lyssa, and so Victor grew angry with her almost too easily. It was like her 'punishment', if you could call it that. The men chasing Flora last night were probably a few of Victor's Idoist henchmen, who have survived as well.

This is only my theory, for the majority of my explanation consists of countless guesses. But, when pieced together, these guesses do actually make sense. Now, does the instigator of this crime wish to say anything before we deal with him?"

Victor blinks, shocked at the Professor's thorough explanation. It seems as if he is backed into a corner, with nowhere else to go. He feels everyone's eyes resting on him, and everyone's breath hot on his body. They have found him out, and he can't deny the fact that he is the one who did the deed. It is over for him.

Lyssa knows she has failed to keep him safe.


	16. REPERCUSSIONS

Victor blinks twice at the faces glaring at him. He has just been accused of being the instigator to this mess. To make matters worse, Professor Layton used evidence to back up his theory, so Victor knows that there is absolutely no way to get out of this alive. He's prepared to sink, but he won't go down without a fight. Victor's eyebrows twitch ever so slightly. That's right…he'll keep pressing on and on until his unavoidable death. He'll finish what he started here…with the dying screams of his so called 'companions'.

"Heh heh…AH-HA-HA-HA-HA!" Victor erupts into victorious laughter, bending over to show off the glint of insanity glowing in his eyes. "I should have known that the great Professor Layton would figure me out sooner or later! Kudos to you, Prof. A very well done on that."

Nobody dares to say a word. Nobody except the Professor himself, who faces the villainous traitor sternly as if he were scolding a child.

"Why, Victor? Why did you do this?" He asks coldly.

"Ha-ha! Well, you DID work it out, so I might as well reward you, hmm?" Victor smiles gleefully.

"…you're really enjoying this, aren't you?" Emmy spits scornfully, refusing to look at the guilty man himself.

"Ohoho, now look who's the genius! Yes, yes I am! I'm having a lot of fun indeed!" Victor swings himself down on a pew and rests his head on the wood surface behind him to see everyone.

His cunning eyes scan the large main room and the people inside. "I owe you all an explanation, so here we go! I am Victor, an Idoist man who has destroyed all life on Earth. My name is already scribed in the Sacrenaught, you foolish so-called 'investigators' just didn't bother to look towards the end! Fufufu, yes… I'm so proud to be the one who has rid of all the evil! No longer will anyone suffer in this corrupted world! I grew up learning how to do this. I grew up clever and knowledgeable enough to commit good deeds and have fun in the process!"

"You still haven't provided us with an adequate answer to my question, Victor" The Professor's tone is calm, yet at the same time laced with venom.

"Oh yes, why did I do this, you ask?" The man places a proud hand on his hip and sticks his nose in the crisp air. "Well, like I said before, I did it to get rid of all evil. All people in this world make me sick, and they believe it's _alright_ to kill each other of their own kind. They believe it's alright to treat other people who are the same as them wrongly. They believe it's alright to kill Idoists. That's what they did to me…." Victor suddenly slams a balled fist on the wood in front of him as an act of rage. "They killed him…they're evil… So now, do you see my point? I just cleansed the whole Earth of sin,"

He throws passionate arms out beside him. "I am now a GOD!" Victor declares.

"Y…you disgust me…" Emmy mutters in response after a moment of silence.

Victor leers at the woman with a lopsided grin. "Well then, if you think I'M disgusting for destroying a civilization, then what about your pretty little boyfriend over there? Surely you heard of his plans to level an entire city, murdering thousands in the process? I must admit, even I was proud."

Clive grits his teeth and hangs his head in a guilty fashion. He plays with his fingers anxiously, biting his bottom lip. Emmy shoots up and takes a threatening step forward.

"That wasn't his fault! It was the events of eleven years ago, the events that have affected most of us in the least! And don't you dare lay a finger on him. If you do, _then I'll make you wish that you'd never been born!_ "

Victor chuckles in amusement.

"I admire your strength, girl. But it's not your protective instinct for him that I'm willing to test. It's his protective instinct for _you_."

Emmy's eyebrows knit together. "What are you saying?"

No one else in the room other than the Professor and Emmy are brave enough to face Victor themselves. They all are interested, however, in what the man has to say. Half interested and perhaps half afraid of him. They were only exposed to the fun, innocent Victor who loved to laugh and protect ones close to him, and this new image that they had to adjust to had shattered the previous one into a million pieces that they couldn't collect. How had Victor…changed so abruptly?

Said man whisks around to face Clive, who almost jumps when the eyes of insanity fall onto him.

"Clive… you are quite useful to the group, aren't you? You are good at fighting to shield the others you care about from harm. Now…what would you do…if you had to decide between one and the other…?" Victor smirks, mumbling the last sentence crazily.

"…I don't understand what you're talking about" Clive states the fact plainly, keeping his expression emotionless.

"Oh...you'll see soon…you'll all see soon…" Victor laughs, stepping back.

"Of course Clive and I will protect each other!" Emmy shouts, unable to control her fury. "We're best friends! We'll protect everyone; everyone is close to us!"

Victor steps closer towards Emmy, but she doesn't move. She keeps her feet rooted to the floor and clenches her fists bravely. She will not back down in the face of danger; she will fight to save the ones she loves and trusts. Emmy wants to stick by this motto until the day she dies. Victor stops his journey to her when his head is leaning over her shoulder and they are close. He mumbles in her ear while reaching in his pocket for a cold, steel tool.

"Silly, silly girl… that's not what I want to experiment with though…."

_GLRCH!_

A drop of blood escapes to the stone floor.

Clive's heart skips a beat when he sees Emmy's shocked, pale face that is damp with sweat. Her weak hand trembles as it makes its way to her bloody stomach and pulls the knife out with all the strength it can manage. She gasps as she collapses to the ground, the life slowly draining out of her.

"NO!" The blue-clad man cries, leaping over to Emmy's side and gripping her hand tightly.

Emmy can't manage to let a scream past her heavy lips, let alone a single word. She grits her teeth in pain while clutching Clive's hand tensely while struggling to stay conscious, coughing up blood.

Victor simply watches on at the sight in utter glee, an entertained smile pasted on his face.

"I'm cruel, aren't I?" He asks the rest of the church, but expects no answer.

The Professor fails to speak; all of the words have been taken from his mouth. Was this the last he was going to see of his feisty, eager and brave assistant…? Why couldn't she survive? Why did she have to be the one to perish like this? Luke glares at Victor with a look of hatred, muttering the word 'monster' under his breath while Flora just stares at Emmy's jerking body and the man beside her desperately trying to keep her alive. Dave has his mouth open slightly ajar, wondering how Victor could do such a horrid thing to one of their friends and Lyssa is expressionless. She knows that she is also to blame for these events, as she had been the one who opted to take care of Victor's secret as he did hers.

"Fufu...don't worry everyone! This won't be the last you'll see of Emmy Altava!" Victor snaps his fingers and after a few moments, four men charge into the church and surround the group. The men are dressed in black, and they are large, bulky and threatening. The vibe they project makes the group feel apprehensive.

"I'd like you to meet my friends. They know who you are, but you don't know who they are, after being with them all this time! How rude, don't you think?"

The Professor ominously shades his eyes with the rim of his chocolate top hat. "So…the man who chased after Flora…."

"You got it, Professor!" Victor giggles and points his finger out to mimic his style. "Anyway, I feel nice. I will let Emmy live…sort of. Did I mention I'm clever and I know my way around with potions and chemicals? Well, the 'zombie potion' wasn't the only result of my intelligence…"

Two of the men walk forward towards the limp Emmy, who is barely breathing now. She knows it would be only a minute or two before she dies, and she's trying to accept the fact that this is the end for her. No one can do anything to stop her fate. One man picks up Clive without effort and throws him into the wall behind him, leaving the young adult stunned, and the other pins Emmy's arms down to the floor to restrain her from struggling. Not that she would anyway; Emmy can't think properly at this stage. The black spots are beginning to cloud her vision and her heart is beginning to slow.

The third man hands Victor a clear, glass object that reflects the natural light shining in from outside. Victor holds it up to test if it still holds liquid. After confirming this fact, he strides towards the almost-dead Emmy and crouches down to her level, brushing her hair back and stroking her face soothingly. The first man holds Clive back from helping, and he can't fight him as he is aware of who has the upper hand. The other man keeps the rest of the group from helping. Luke attempts, but is shortly slammed into the stone ground after.

Victor takes the lid off of the needle and throws it to the side, not particularly caring about where the plastic lands. He holds the syringe high above Emmy, caressing the pump lightly. Then, faster than a speeding bullet, Victor plunges the syringe into Emmy's soft arm, earning a wince and a moan from the girl. He pushes the pump in to expel the liquid formula into her bloodstream.

After this process, he stands up and backs away to the rest of the team again, handing the syringe to one of his 'assistants'.

"Wha…what did you do to her…?" Clive croaks bitterly, trying not to say anything too rash in case he was beaten up again.

"Oh, explaining that is my favourite part of the day so far! Well, I simply injected a formula into her which will transform her into a flesh-eating creature like the ones on the street today! Only, this time, she'll actually have a _brain!_ Won't that be wonderful? She can talk to us and actually look like one of us too! Only, she'll want to kill us. Even her little love interest over there…," Victor casts a glance back to Clive, who is released from the man's hard grasp. "…and her abilities will be advanced! Oh, what fun!"

Even at times like these, Clive can't help but wonder if what Victor said was true- did Emmy really love him back? Well now, thanks to Victor himself, Clive would never find out. He staggered towards the rest of the innocents, clutching his reeling head in one hand. He felt like throwing up after knowing that he has lost someone ever so special to him, twice now. And now, his only love will be out to kill him? Despite being out-of-it, Clive tries to be as alert as he can just in case of any surprise attacks. Emmy or no Emmy, Clive still holds the responsibility of protecting the group.

Suddenly, Emmy starts shrieking.

Her body twists and turns as she screams out in agony, clawing loose tiles in the floor. Her breathing is quick and uneven as she rolls around, aggressively trying to pull out her hair or destroy the stones beneath her.

"Ah, she's just began her transformation. I'd recommend leaving quickly, you know; wouldn't want to become her next snack!" Victor grins and laughs evilly, striking fear into every person's heart.

"What about you?" The Professor wants to know, finally finding his voice. He can't stand seeing Emmy in such a state.

"Ah, she obeys her master and her master only. Her master is the one who transformed her, so I think all of you can make the connection here…."

The group gasp simultaneously; trying to ignore Emmy's pained screeches so they aren't reminded of her situation. After this, she would no longer be human anymore- only a bloodthirsty monster with no conscience. The Professor and Clive, the ones that Emmy is closest to, refuse to believe that to be the case.

"So…," Victor clears his throat. "The transformation will be over in ten seconds or so… Tell you what; I'll give you a thirty-second head start before I send her after you all…sound fair?"

"What? Thirty seconds?" Luke protests.

"Fine, let's make it twenty seconds then. Run along now, friends" Victor ushers them. When no one actually does as he says, he wears a deranged smile and raises his eyebrows. "Alright then… Twenty..."

With this, with Luke in front, the group rush out as fast as they can. Lyssa throws him one last confused glance before following the rest of them out. They sprint through the forest, trying not to trip. Flora has tears spilling down her cheeks in fear while the Professor has his eyes narrowed in determination.

"Where are we even going, Professor?" Luke asks as they run.

"Anywhere, my boy! Anywhere away from here!" The Professor shouts in response.

Clive is not too far behind the fast boy, and soon catches up to him. He blinks back a few scared tears of his own, knowing that crying wouldn't get anyone far. How could he let Emmy slip out of his fingers this easily? If he was just a little bit more careful, then maybe he'd be the one that was experimented with and Emmy would be safe. No… Emmy wouldn't be safe. Clive, whether he liked it or not, would be ordered to kill her, and he would perform that action flawlessly without any sign of fail. Clive casts his mind back to his conversation with Katrina a few days ago, and how she had said that he would finally receive his happy ending. Now, Clive believes that happy ending isn't an option for him anymore. All happiness has been taken from him. What else had Katrina told him?

_Katrina gives him a half smile. "Ah, it's okay now. But you know what? Keep this a secret, would you? Good. Because…I actually tried to raise Eugene from the dead."_

_"What? How?"_

_"A simple resurrection elixir, of course. Sadly, it failed with Eugene as his body was already cremated before I could get to him. It works on everything dead, including these zombies here. But, it was designed for Eugene and me, so it can only be transferred into the deceased loved one's body with a true love's kiss… Sounds like a fairytale, I know. But sometimes there are such things as happy endings."_

Clive's hung head snaps up to attention.

_A simple resurrection elixir…_

That was it! Katrina was an Idoist, so she must have created it in that place, the place where they had just passed a second ago on their way out of the forest. Clive skids to a halt, causing the others to do the same as well.

"Clive?" Luke wants to know why they have stopped.

"…go ahead without me, everyone. I need to try something."

"But Clive! You'll-" The Professor cuts in, trying to convince the young adult that it isn't a good idea to stay behind in their situation.

"I know what I'm doing. You'll be fine without me, just fight the best you can" Those are Clive's last words before he turns back and runs to the Research Facility, leaving the others to themselves.

" _Three…_ "

They start to panic.

"But Professor, Clive's our best fighter! Without him, we'll all die!" Flora complains, worry shining in her eyes.

The Professor knows this to be true, yet he tries to keep optimistic for the sake of the children he is responsible for. He's the only adult left in the group at this moment, and therefore he must do all he can to protect them. He can't afford to lose them…especially Luke, his 'apprentice'.

_"Two…"_

"Look, Luke, we're going to live. You're going to live, just stay strong and defend yourself, alright?"

Luke nods sadly and resumes his run.

_"…ONE."_

Victor lets a menacing cackle escape his mouth and admires his creation that stands in front of him with joyful eyes. He stares at the door with a smile soon after, and listens to the lightning crack and the soft pitter-patter of the rain that suddenly pours outside.

"…Emmy?"

The creature in front of him cracks her neck while turning to him so abruptly. Her blood red eyes glow brightly at her master. Perfect, Victor thinks.

"…It's time…."


	17. RETALIATION

_CRSH! CLANK! SPLAT!_

Clive pushes potions and concoctions to the floor as he frantically searches around the Research Facility. The glass shards and liquid gather around him and they leave a trail down the path he takes, but Clive is too busy panicking to even care. He furrows his eyebrows in concentration, trying to be as quick as he can; he knows that he's placed the Professor and the rest in a lot of danger. Emmy would be out for their blood in a few seconds or so, and Clive has no idea if she would check in here or not. He silently prays that she wouldn't hear him bustling about, so he tries not to knock vials to the floor while desperately looking.

Katrina's words are still hanging in his mind. _A simple resurrection elixir_ , that's what she said. Clive knows that even if he finds it, he wouldn't be able to guarantee Emmy's revival. Also, how would he be able to transfer the potion into her without kissing her? Emmy would grab him while he attempted for sure, and Clive isn't prepared to take that chance. Maybe there's still a little bit of the real Emmy left inside her, although this is just Clive's wishful thinking. Even though he would give up everything for the infected girl, Clive realises that it's his duty to protect the others who don't have the same skills as he does whether he likes it or not. Nobody is going to die today, and that is a fact. Clive wouldn't allow anyone to perish because of his careless actions.

So far, there's absolutely no sign of the resurrection potion that Katrina made. Clive swears to himself that he might go crazy again if it's not in here and everyone else dies because of him. He slams a fist down on a table, causing a bottle to rattle, topple over and spill over the side. The liquid inside is purple, and gives off a horrible stench. Clive wrinkles his nose and steps away gingerly, waving a hand to drive the smell away. He tries to take his mind off of the sight in front of him by gazing out of the small glass window on top of the Longhorn Research Facility Centre. The rain has gotten a lot heavier since he first entered. Clive hopes that this won't cause any problems for anyone else.

With a sad sigh, he gathers up his motivation by thinking of Emmy and continues his search through countless shelves and cupboards, just hoping that Emmy could be saved in some way.

* * *

The Professor and the group stumble out of the entrance of the wood and into the street in exhaustion. They bend over with hands on their knees, trying to collect their breaths. They know that their twenty seconds are up and that Emmy will shortly be after them. The thought of the bubbly, cheerful girl as a fanged monster makes the Professor shudder. It also makes him feel a new, burning hatred for Victor, an emotion that he has tried to suppress for a long time. Luke gathers his energy quicker than the others and rushes ahead.

"Luke!" The Professor calls after the boy, not wanting Luke to be hurt.

Said boy has already stopped though. He has frozen on the spot, his heart thumping wildly in his chest at the sight standing in front of him. The creature moans and lashes an unexpected arm out at Luke, who jumps back just in time. More zombies are attracted to the new scent of fresh, living humans and they amble closer, cornering them into the forest. They can't run back, as Emmy would be there, yet they can't advance or they will fall prey to zombies.

They are stuck.

"Pr…professor! What do we do now?" Dave panics, jumping up in down in fright.

"…we do what Emmy and Clive would do…," The Professor gravely answers, closing his eyes.

"What? But…what?" Luke stutters, looking around at the others for their reactions.

"That's right…" Layton picks up a metal pole lying at his feet and swings it to the side. " _…we fight!_ "

The Professor normally wouldn't demonstrate acts of violence and aggression, but when his and the children's lives are severely threatened, he pushes these gentlemanly ways of his to the side. He will no longer be friendly in the presence of an enemy. And he will make sure of this fact. The Professor suddenly races forward, pole high in the air, and swings it down with all his might onto the zombie's head. Black blood spurts from its face before it collapses onto the side of the road. Luke watches on in amazement before realising that he could be out there doing the same thing.

After this little epiphany of his, Luke grabs a sharp rock from the ground and aims carefully at a zombie's head. He throws, and to his surprise, the rock collides with the zombie's skull perfectly. It stumbles back, stunned, leaving enough time for the Professor to crush him with the metal pole. Dave grins and decides to join in on the fun, no longer afraid. He dashes around the entrance of the forest, looking for more rocks for Luke to throw at the zombies. But, instead of this, Dave finds a large, y-shaped twig. His smile widens at the sight before he eagerly bends down and scoops the object into his chubby hands.

"What are you doing?" Luke asks as he watches Dave proudly admire the twig as if it were a bar of gold.

"Dude, look! We can make a slingshot to fire at the zombies!" Dave explains with glee. "But it actually needs a sling-thingy… has anyone got any elastic bands on them?"

"Like anyone's going to carry around elastic bands in a zombie apocalypse!" Luke scoffs, raising an eyebrow.

"Damn! What are we going to use then?"

Meanwhile, Flora stands with Lyssa, scared and afraid. She shivers at the thought that she will probably die as she simply can't do anything. She tries, but she always ends up being kidnapped and not taken seriously. But why? Flora asks herself. It isn't until this encounter with the zombies until Flora picks up on the answer. She's always tried, but she's never _believed_. She's never _believed_ she could be as brave as Emmy or as ferocious as Clive. She's never believed that she could be as clever as the Professor or as helpful as Luke.

_She's never believed in herself._

Flora's mind suddenly clicks. _That's what I need to do!_ She determinedly thinks. _I believe in myself! I believe I can do it!_ Flora concentrates on those six words for a while, letting there be no one else in the world but her. She drowns out the sounds of zombies being fought and the panics of the two boys to her left. Then her eyes flutter open and her hunched over posture snaps straight. Flora nods to herself before marching over to Dave and snatching the twig out of the boy's hands. He protests, half offended and half interested in what Flora has in mind.

The girl reaches behind her head and slides out her ribbon, tying the ends onto the stick after undoing it. Her light brown, curly hair flows down her back until the tips reach her waist. Flora narrows her eyes and grabs a sharp rock from the ground, feeling very intense about her actions. She takes aim and pulls the ribbon back, reminding herself that she believes she can do this.

She lets go.

The rock suddenly hurtles through the air at a very rapid rate. It takes a zombie out without fail, leaving Flora with wide eyes. She never thought that she could do something like that, yet she had just performed a perfect method to knock someone (or in this case, something) into unconsciousness. Flora rejoices, jumping up and down while Dave and Luke clap. They too are also surprised at Flora's hidden skill. The Professor then defeats the unconscious zombie after a few whacks to its head.

He congratulates Flora, giving her courage to repeat the process. Smiling, she bends down to grab a rock and prepares to fire.

"This time, I'm not holding back anymore!" She cries before releasing the ribbon.

* * *

"It's got to be somewhere here, it just _has_ to be!" Clive bites his tongue in frustration.

He's running out of time. Where are the Professor and the others? Are they captured? Are they…killed? Clive shakes the thought out of his head and sets his focus on finding the resurrection potion, constantly reminding himself of Emmy and how much she will suffer in the years to come. Why does he care so much about her? Why is she so different then someone of the likes of Flora or Lyssa? Perhaps it's because Emmy and Clive are best friends, but… it's not just that. It's something else, but Clive just can't put his finger on it. Back in the church, he said to himself that he _loved_ her. But is it true? Does he really love Emmy?

Looking over the laboratory, he acknowledges the fact that he's destroyed most of it. Smashed glass and liquids are all over the floor as a result of Clive's careless 'searching'. But it is all for Emmy. He would do anything for her. He sadly reaches up to a shelf and pushes more potions to the side, much slower than before. A shade of pink catches his eye. At the back of a shelf, previously obscured by all the other potions that Clive has just moved out of sight, is a beaker filled with rose liquid. Around the neck, attached by a thin, worn-away piece of string is an old note. Clive reaches up and grabs this beaker, holding it carefully to read the note.

_Dear Reader,_

_Inside this beaker is a very special potion that you must treat very carefully. It was made by me, Katrina Shanks-Meltsner, for trying to raise my dear husband from the grave. Sadly though, it didn't work for him as he was already cremated. This potion can only be consumed by your significant other through a passionate kiss. It will not work any other way. It will take effect quite quickly. Use this elixir wisely and cleverly please._

_Thank you._

Clive drops the note and resists the urge to scream out in joy. He found it! This is it! He can save Emmy and they all could defeat Victor! He slides the beaker into a pocket on his jeans. It's perfect, everything is simply perfect. All Clive has to do now is think of a way how to convince Emmy to take the potion. He could tame her or try to knock some sense into her. Clive's plans don't usually have holes inside them, but somehow this one does, and this one is the most important plan he's made in his life. Clive sighs, and decides that he'll think of a method later on in the day. Victor is after everyone, and Clive cannot waste time when everyone's lives are in danger.

But…Clive can't imagine how awkward life would be after he…kisses Emmy. On the lips, not on the cheek as a real gentleman should when he concerns his first kiss with his girlfriend. But Emmy isn't Clive's girlfriend. Oh, how unbecoming of a gentleman! Perhaps Emmy won't mind so much if she likes him too. Does she, though? Clive can't help but let his imagination wonder…

_"Well hello there."_

He freezes.

That voice… Clive shudders in horror, his eyes wide and afraid. That voice is cold, icy and menacing. It slices through the air as if it were a dagger, thrown to pierce his chest. That voice is edged with evil. That voice…

…Belongs to Emmy Altava.

Or rather what has become of her. Clive spins around on his heel, arms poised in front of him and ready to strike. He must understand that this is not the same Emmy that is his best friend and that she is under Victor's influence. He notices that this new Emmy's appearance has altered heavily. Her hair is messy and tangled, her eyes are glowing a deep red, elongated, sharp claws are attached to the tips of her fingers and two knife-like fangs stand out from the rest of her pearly white teeth.

Emmy flashes a small, taunting smile at Clive, clearly entertained by his fear.

"I'm sad I checked in here now," Emmy mentions, faking tears. "I wanted you to be the last one…"

"Well tough!" Clive bravely spits back. "Now I'll be the first one you kill. Have fun."

"Ooh, feisty _and_ sarcastic! You're just as I remember!"

 _Just as I remember…_ Clive gasps. All those times, moments that the two had shared together…does Emmy remember all of that? If Clive can just remind her of who he is, maybe Emmy can hesitate and return to her normal self. Clive prays to himself that this will work. He takes a step forward and prepares to carry out his plan.

"Emmy, it's me, Clive! Don't you remember who I am?" Clive demands.

"Of course I do! I just said, didn't I?" Emmy laughs maliciously, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

Well, that didn't work. Clive growls and tries to think of something he can say to convince her. His mind races back to the first time they met to this moment, trying to pick out certain moments that they shared together.

"Well, what about when you first saved me from prison? Without you, I'd be a zombie right now! Or… or when we all went to that house together, you, me and Don Paolo?" Clive's voice starts to get thick and wobbly. "We made a promise, didn't we? That we'd stick by each other at all times! Where did that promise go?"

Emmy chuckles and folds her arms. "It went down the drain, Clive. The _old_ Emmy made that promise. Not me."

"But…but the 'old' Emmy and the 'new' Emmy are the same person! "

"NO! NO WE'RE NOT!" Emmy suddenly snaps, causing Clive to step back in surprise. "Don't you see? The old Emmy was a wimp who didn't serve any use for anyone! But then the Master gave her new life. And that new life was _me_. I can see the world a lot clearer now, Clive, and I can see it from the Master's point of view! Humans are evil, and so are _you. That is why I was given orders to kill you."_

"Listen to yourself, Emmy!" Clive stutters, knowing that he was going nowhere with this helpless little plan of his. "This is not the real Emmy! I know she's in there and I know that she's strong enough to fight you! Emmy, if you're in there, fight!"

Emmy bursts into fits of maniacal laughter, fully exposing her fangs. Clive has scrapped the old plan and concocted a new one- _stall time_. If he talks to Emmy for long enough, it would give the other members of the group enough time to escape from the Ido area and defend themselves from the awaiting zombies. Emmy ceases her laughter and takes one step forward, closer to her prey.

"Well, well! You're funny! It's so unfortunate that I have to kill you now!" Emmy cheerfully says, advancing on him.

Clive gulps and tries to gather up more memories of them together to remind her. Even though his fate is sealed, he feels that he can't give up on Emmy now. He can't. Clive breathes in and out, preparing to be attacked at any moment.

"But…remember, after Katrina attacked you, you jumped into my arms!" He almost-yells, an idea forming in his mind, "What was it like...to have my arms wrapped around you?"

Emmy raises an eyebrow and looks away, shrugging.

"Cold," She answers plainly. "Cold and horrible."

Clive is slightly hurt by this remark. Although he knows that the real Emmy isn't speaking right now, his heart feels as if it could crack at any moment. He sees Emmy pounce on top of him and knock him to the ground. She slides out her spear from the strap on her back and her red eyes shine into his as she straddles the man who has accidently let his guard down. The first rule in fighting your opponent successfully- _Never let your guard down_. And yet…Clive couldn't help but do the exact opposite when he is in front of her. Emmy simply just captivates him. Clive grits his teeth as he faces the fact that he will die in a matter of seconds- by the hand of his best friend.

"Emmy…please…" Clive weakly pleads, tears forming in the corner of his eyes.

Emmy doesn't answer, and instead raises the spear high above his chest, ready to plunge the weapon right into his heart.

So this is how it is going to end. After everything Clive and Emmy did together, after every glance they've exchanged, after every conversation they've shared…this is the end. Clive bites his lip so hard that it draws blood and he shuts his eyes tightly, preparing for the pain that is about to come. It's not until this point when Clive finally realises his true feelings for Emmy. _He loves her_. He loves talking with her, laughing with her and just simply being with her. Clive wishes that he didn't take every minute of his life with Emmy by his side for granted, and that he could have made a move earlier. It's too late now. Emmy is gone, and there's nothing that Clive can do. Soon, his life will be over as well.

Maybe…in the next world…they can be together for eternity.

"…Memories."

Emmy cocks her head in confusion, her eyes gazing at the man in interest. "What?"

"The answer to your puzzle…" Clive croaks. "…A memory."

At first, Emmy is quite bemused indeed. What puzzle? This is surely a trick, Emmy thinks to herself. But…why would Clive trick her when he can't even get free if Emmy lost focus? Is he trying to throw her off her objective? The demonic Emmy can't rack her brains hard enough for the answer, so she has to resort to looking through the 'old' Emmy's head. When she retrieves nothing from her search, Emmy knits her eyebrows together and stares at Clive impatiently.

"I still don't understand what you mean."

"Oh…" Clive half-heartedly chuckles. "You gave me a puzzle, remember? And I worked it out."

"What pu-?" The girl stops mid-sentence as something clicks in her mind.

It all makes sense.

_"Clive…" Emmy steps forward until they are inches away from each other. "Come back…"_

_"I don't really understand, Emmy" Clive taunts before Emmy presses her spear against his chest._

_Emmy leans forward slowly. The people in the car hold their breaths as they are about to make contact. Emmy's lips barely brush against his. They are about to…_

_"…What can bring back the dead; make us cry, make us laugh, make us young; born in an instant yet lasts a lifetime…?" Emmy whispers, her breath hot on his lips._

_Clive's eyes return back to normal. He springs away from her. "Emmy…" He utters before running off in the other direction, away from her._

Emmy gasps, realisation punching her in the stomach.

"A memory…" She breathes, her expression distant.

Her spear clatters to the ground as she can't find the strength to hold it up anymore. She instantly jumps off Clive and sits beside him, tears pooling in her eyes. Emmy lets the salty water drip to the ground when she leans forward, unable to hold them back. What has she done…?

"Emmy?" Clive wants to know why the girl hasn't killed him yet.

"I'm sorry…" She rasps, sucking in her lips. "I'm so…sorry…"

Clive's eyes light up. He blinks in astonishment, wondering how it is possible for Emmy to hesitate and return back to normal. Has she…? Has she really returned to the Emmy he knows and loves? Clive can only hope. He sits up and reaches under her chin, gently tilting her head to face his.

 _Brown eyes…_ Clive notices, relief filling his heart. The evil, devilish shade of red has completely disappeared from view. The claws and fangs are still there however, but Clive can't care less. Emmy was really back.

"Emmy!" He cries, throwing his arms around the woman and holding her close.

"Huh? Wh-what's this a-about?" She sniffs.

Emmy has just threatened to take his life as a bloodthirsty monster, and yet he still treats her with kindness? Emmy is expecting everyone to lock her away and hate her for being a dead killing machine, but to her surprise, nobody is actually doing that? Why? That's exactly what she deserves anyway.

"Emmy…I thought I lost you…" Clive mutters in her ear, burying his fingers deep inside her messy hair.

"I thought the same way about you…" Emmy confesses.

When her other personality was about to slam the blade into Clive's heart, Emmy was still there, begging herself not to do it. She fought, just like Clive had told her to. Emmy didn't give up. She will never give up when it concerns her precious friends, as she has taught herself to do so. Only…Clive isn't just a precious friend.

After embracing each other, Clive takes one of Emmy's hands into his and stares deep into her eyes, admiring the beauty circling those orbs. Clive exhales and tells himself that there were no other judgemental people in the world that can't tell him that he isn't allowed love. He purses his lips and then manages a smile.

"Emmy…Lately, everything has made me realise that… look, I'm crazy about you, Emmy Altava. I love being by your side, I love hearing your voice every day and I love… I… _I love you_ ," Clive admits, his voice cracking. "I honestly do. I just want to know if you…feel the same way or something. I understand if the feeling isn't mutual…but I had to get this off of my chest. I'm sorry for everything that's happened…."

Emmy sits there, bewildered. She can't believe what Clive is saying; she feels exactly the same way! Whenever he speaks, a spark of warmth ignites in her body and her cheeks glow red. Every time her eyes fell upon his grace, his charm, his twinkling eyes, she feels her heart flutter in the depths of her chest like the wings of a butterfly. Why has she been hiding these feelings so tucked away inside of her all this time?

"Why are you sorry?" Emmy wants to know, choosing not to reply to his confession.

"…Oh. Um…I just thought, if I had acted sooner then you wouldn't be dead right now…" Clive closes his eyes.

"It isn't _your_ fault, you big old softy!" Emmy laughs and gives Clive a hearty slap on the back.

Even as a dead creature, Emmy still has her sense of humour.

"So…um…" Clive starts, feeling a thick sense of awkwardness between the two.

"Yes…" Emmy says all of a sudden.

Clive raises his eyebrows and folds his arms. "Uh…what?"

Emmy giggles and puts one hand on top of his. She forgets all about the fact that she is dead and that they are currently fighting against Victor. She forgets that she's an unnatural creature and that she had died when Victor stabbed her a mere five or ten minutes ago. All she cares about is Clive, and how he has saved her by just reminding her of who she really was inside. She gives the man a genuine beam and nods her head once.

"…Yes…I love you too."

* * *

"I wonder where she is."

Victor watches the forest out through the church door with cunning eyes, anticipating the moment Emmy sprints back with the group's blood dripping from her hands. Victor is slightly worried, however, as Emmy is taking longer than expected. It doesn't take that long to murder six people when you're a creature that Victor created. Had something happened to her? Victor snarls at the possibility of the corrupted humans defeating her; they can't do that! Victor is far more powerful than them!

"I'm sure she'll be back soon, boss," One of the henchmen assures him.

"Hmm…" Victor hesitates to leave this matter alone. "…Guys? I want you to go after them now, just in case they've somehow found a way past her. When you hunt them down, don't be afraid to _kill them all, the girl included. She hasn't been doing her job properly_."

He chuckles evilly and lets the four men dash out of the open door. Nothing can stop him now. Even if something managed to anyway, his work is already done.

_The world is already dead._

* * *

Another rock takes a gurgling zombie out with the help of Flora. She feels extremely confident with herself at the moment, what with the fact that she has learnt to believe. Luke and Dave are helping her by collecting loose rocks and stones around the area. Thanks to her and the Professor, only one or two zombies remain. The Professor kills them with ease, and then wipes the sweat off of his forehead. He can't believe that someone who follows every rule of being a 'true gentleman' would ever do such a thing.

But when other lives are at stake, another rule of being a 'true gentleman' is to protect them at all costs. These rules might contradict each other, but the Professor believes in what is right for him and his friends. He looks over his shoulder to see Lyssa standing alone in the rain with a melancholy expression. The girl is regretting her decision to double-cross her new friends, the people she secretly loves. Lyssa is also wondering why Victor is now out to kill _her_ too-hasn't she helped him accomplish his plan? She realises that Victor is truly evil and only used her for his own gain. So…everything reassuring he has ever said to her…was fake?

When all the zombies are dead, Luke and Dave drop all the stones cradled in their arms. They refuse to admit that they were pretty heavy and that they were weighing them down quite a bit. The Professor laughs at their pathetic attempts to hide their panting breaths and red faces, before stopping in his tracks.

_Shouldn't Emmy be here right now?_

This thought seems to enter everyone's minds at exactly the same time, and they spring to alert and awareness, knowing that she could jump out from the shadows at any time. So…why hasn't she done it already? She should have left the church a good five minutes ago, and they aren't that far. What about Clive? Where was he…?

Flora gasps. "Professor! Maybe Emmy got to Clive before he got to us!"

The Professor acknowledges this fact as a strong possibility. He can't shake the feeling that something bad will happen…and will happen soon.

As if on cue, there is the thumping of footsteps coming from inside the wood, accompanied by a clash of thunder from the heavens above. The Professor's grip tightens on the metal pole as he steps in front of the four children, shielding them from danger. Victor's four henchmen emerge from the entrance of the wood and circle the group so fast that Layton cannot react. It takes two seconds for all of them to realise that they are cornered and they now have no escape whatsoever.

"What are you going to do with us?" The Professor asked to one of the guys.

"The boss gave us orders," He replied to them. "To kill you all."

Luke and Flora step back in horror and clutch the Professor's jacket tightly. Dave does the same to Lyssa, and she doesn't react one bit. She feels that she's so guilty, that she needs to die as a punishment. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath in, waiting for her execution to be carried out. Luke trembles but strangely, Flora is still. She has learnt to be brave in times like these, when she is just bordering her death. The men clench their fists and take out daggers from their pockets, ready to throw them into their victims. The Professor's bottom lip quivers in fright. Out of all the near-death experiences they had, _someone_ was there to save them. Where is that _someone_ now when they all desperately needed them?

"Any last words?" A man jeers, flashing a toothy grin.

"Yes: _Goodbye!_ "

The man falls to the floor out of the blue, blood pooling from his wound. The Professor and the group stare at the man in confusion, wondering what just happened to him. As they look up, they see the person behind the man's death brushing her hands off on her knees.

"Emmy?" Luke cries.

"Hi everyone! I was beginning to wonder where you all went to!" She grins, bending down to the man's corpse and fingering a drop of his blood. "Looks delicious, doesn't it?"

The group have generated a new fear now- of the girl in front of them. She's a fanged creature that nobody can save, thanks to Victor. Luke can't take his eyes off of what used to be his mentor's old assistant. In a matter of seconds, they'd also be dead. But, even though the Professor is quite afraid of her too, he can't help but wonder why she felt the need to kill the man who was going to kill them- isn't he Victor's henchman, and isn't Emmy under Victor's orders. It doesn't make sense.

Unless…

"Gah! You just killed him!" Another henchman spoke angrily.

"Tell me something I don't know" Emmy replies in a monotone voice, flicking the blood away as if it is nothing.

"F-fine!" The man stutters and raises his dagger once again. "Now we have to kill you for it, Victor's 'pet' or not!"

Just as they are about to charge, another voice sounds.

"Not on my watch."

Clive jumps in front of her from the side, sliding on the ground and extending his arms out in a protective fashion. "You're going to have to do more than that to get past _me_."

The Professor raises an eyebrow, and then it all clicks in his mind. He smiles at Clive and tips his hat as a gesture to thank him. Whatever he did back there, Clive _saved_ Emmy from her bloody fate. And now she's on their side. Luke, Flora and Dave are still a little bit suspicious of her, but the Professor tells them that everything is fine and there's absolutely nothing to be afraid of anymore. Dead or alive, Emmy is alright.

"What can _you_ do? You're just a puny little boy!" One man protests.

"Yeah! Didn't I beat you up earlier?"

"Oh?" Clive tilts his head and smirks deviously. "I'm just a puny little boy, am I? Well, well… let's see what this puny little boy can do then, shall we?"

Clive races towards him faster than anyone can imagine and flips forward, effectively slamming the man down onto the ground with his foot. He jumps on him and kicks him in the back. Emmy dashes in front of the man and crushes a foot in his face, then she dropped his dagger into his own back. Placing one proud hand on his hip, Clive grins at the two remaining ones.

"Was that _puny_ enough for you?"

They stand up, tall and brave, not wanting to accept defeat from a young adult who looks ten times less weaker than themselves. They take a step forward, hunching themselves over.

"We are going to crush you!" They threaten simultaneously, a growl ripping from the back of their throats.

"My, my. All bark and no bite. I must say, you guys are entertaining!" Clive mock-complements, before tearing through the air and crouching down.

Before they could see, Clive swipes them off their feet with his own leg, causing them to stumble and fall back. They groan, stirring and gritting their teeth in pain. The wind has been knocked out of their systems. Emmy chooses to join in this fight now and retrieves her spear from behind her, proceeding to plunge it into the men's chests. In a matter of seconds, she does so, earning cries of pain from them.

The others watch this scene breathlessly, some in fascination and some in horror as four lives are stolen. Even if they were about to kill them, Flora feels slightly sad that she had to witness their deaths without doing anything. She could at least have given them a second chance- but then again, they were Victor's henchmen and they had to obey orders.

"Wow…" Dave breathes. "You…You SO need to teach me how to do that!"

Emmy and Clive chuckle at the eager boy.

"Emmy, Clive…what happened?" The Professor wants to know to confirm his suspicions.

"Clive talked me out of everything" Emmy plainly stated, slipping her hand into his.

"Wait…let me get this straight…" Luke begins, putting a finger on his head and blinking twice. "…You transformed into a MONSTER and all it took to save you was just TALKING…?"

Emmy shakes her head, a small smile creeping on the corner of her lips. "No. All it took to save me was love."

"Woah woah woah, someone turn the air freshener on because we have some _cheese_ in here!" Dave announces, plugging his nose with one hand and waving in front of it with the other.

"Well I guess we've learnt two things from here," Luke grins widely. "Evil CAN be beaten and that The Beatles were right."

"All you need is love…dum dum dum dum…" Emmy hums, bobbing her head from left to right in memory of the song.

Everyone, glad to finally be reunited, rushed forward to hug one another happily. Finally, a joyful moment out of all the ones they had suffered through. They have learnt not to take these points in time for granted ever again, no matter what they do. Not even Victor can destroy love for one another, and that is a fact.

No one can take away friendship.

However, people can test it. A chilling voice breaks the friends up and they freeze in fear when they realise who it belongs to. The Professor shades his eyes with the rim of his hat angrily, not forgetting the hatred bubbling in his heart right now and his little promise to himself- protect the others with all you can do. He steps forward and shields the others with his arms again, glaring at the traitor in front of him.

"May I ask two things?" Victor beckoned, his lip curling up. "Firstly, why is everyone alive? And secondly, where is the girl?"

Emmy decides to take a huge step forward. Clive tries to stand with her, but she tells him that she doesn't want him to get hurt. Clive reluctantly nods and then wishes the dead girl luck. Emmy pushes past the crowd to face Victor by herself. She stares at him determinedly with her lips pressed into a thin line.

"I'm here."

"Ah, good. Why haven't you rid of them yet, Emmy?" Victor inquires calmly, pushing in his rectangular glasses.

Emmy's left eye twitches as she resists the urge to spring forward and attack this man. She closes her eyes and exhales out.

"…Because they're my friends."

"What?" At first, Victor is shocked that something as little as 'friendship' would get in the way of his plan, but then he laughs over the matter. "Well, what more could I expect? I knew that the Professor would _somehow_ use…different…methods to defeat me. I still need to defeat him first, though!"

"No you don't!" Emmy shouts to him. "Why can't you just let us go and find our own way?"

Victor laughs once again and crosses his arms over, winking at the whole group. "Now that wouldn't be very fun, wouldn't it?"

"It doesn't have to be this way! Please, just let us go!" Emmy begs.

"After what you did to my men? Never. They were Idos too, you know. This just proves that you commoners are cruel and evil," He scowls. "This just proves that Professor Layton needs to be destroyed!"

The Professor knows that he should speak up, but he just can't find the correct words to use in the presence of a man as evil as him. They stand in silence for a while, no one knowing what exactly to say. Victor breaks the awkwardness with a lopsided smile and cat-like eyes.

"Oh Flora…? If you care about your little friends, please come to the front."

Flora's head snaps up in fear. She looks at the faces staring at her from side to side, feeling the fear in her heart. She knows that she needs to protect her friends, but she can't help but fear for her own life as well. But hasn't she taught herself to believe that she can do it? That's right…even if she has to die for her own friends…Flora Reinhold will believe in herself. Luke and the Professor try to stop her, but Flora gathers up enough strength and strides past them. She stands in front of everyone, ready for whatever Victor has planned for her.

"Thank you," Victor hides a snide smirk. "You see, there is one final method I'd like to try to finally defeat the seemingly undefeatable. I'll tell you what I'll do- I need to take away the one that the Professor cares about the most. That will crush his spirits for sure."

"Flora, no!" Luke cries as he realises what Victor will do to his best friend.

"Quiet, Luke," Flora bravely snaps. "I need to do what is best for everyone."

"But giving yourself up is not the answ—"

"If I can protect you, then it is!" Flora yells for the first time, finally stepping out of her quiet, timid shell. "All my life I've let others do the work for me and save me, but tell me everyone, have I ever saved anyone else? Have I? This is my chance! This is my chance to prove to the world that Flora Reinhold is not a coward anymore!"

Luke shuts up, amazed by the new personality of Flora. Even Victor is slightly taken aback, but this doesn't get in the way of his plan. He thrusts out his gun, aiming perfectly for Flora's head. Victor listened when Flora had said that this is _her_ chance. Now, this is his. He can destroy all the evil in the world, and he can't back down. This is the final phase of his plan. It is the last bullet, and he can't lose this chance now. Victor breathes in and out slowly, waiting for the right moment to pull the trigger.

Luke panics on the spot, knowing that he cannot just sit there and do absolutely nothing to help. Flora is about to die, and if she does, then he will never forgive himself for it. Everything that he and Flora have worked together for will crumble to dust. Luke cannot let this happen. What about this morning, when they were in the Ido Church, playing tag together? Luke desperately wanted that moment to last forever, and now he'll never get that chance to play with each other again. It is then when Luke gets the courage to finally do something about this.

"Victor, look behind you!" He shrieks.

The man quickly whips around.

In the space and time of half a second, Luke races forward to him, pushing Flora out of the way in the process. Lyssa is fast to realise what Luke is doing, and she runs as well. As Victor turns back, Luke back-flips and kicks the gun out of his grasp. It flies into the air, and he follows its path. The object lands perfectly in Lyssa's hands. She tightens her grip on the gun and bares her teeth angrily. She raises the pistol to Victor's stomach. Lyssa keeps a keen eye on him and the others hold their breaths.

"It's over…Victor."


	18. MEMORIES

_Sixteen years ago...._

"And you mustn't go outside!" Victor's dad commanded, snarling at the poor boy.

Victor trembled as he sat down, staring at the floor. He refused to acknowledge the presence of his father, especially when he was treating him in this way. Not to say that he wasn't used to it, however; it seemed that all his parents seemed to enjoy doing with him was beating him half to death. He wondered what he did to deserve this life. What was his problem? All of a sudden, Victor's dad held the small boy up by the collar.

"DO YOU HEAR ME?" He roared.

Victor nodded slightly, biting his lip. "Y-yes, Father…"

"Good" The man slammed Victor to the cold wooden floor, and the boy winced as his skull came in contact with the hard asphalt.

Victor's dad left then, locking the door behind him and leaving poor Victor alone in the house all by himself. Victor picked himself up and staggered toward the window. He gazed outside onto the busy streets of London, wondering what life would be like out there. To the outside world, Victor was dead. He had died years ago when he fell off his bike. In truth, Victor had survived that fall, but that was just an excuse for his parents to remove him from existence. Victor couldn't help but keep asking why some parents would want to do this to their own children, their own flesh and blood that they created together.

Perhaps it was because he was an 'accident', or in his parent's case, a 'mistake'. What was it like, to be called something other than a 'mistake'? To be called 'darling', 'honey', or maybe just even a plain 'kid'? Victor would never know, as he never knew what it was like to love, or be loved. When he was a very young boy, he did have birthdays and Christmases when he received nice things and embraces from other members of his family- but never his parents. And on his third birthday, he surprisingly received a bicycle from the parents that loathed him so much. Sure, Victor was slightly bewildered (but too young to fully understand) as to why his parents were suddenly so kind, but come five years later, he saw that all that bike was to be used for was to be an excuse for him to suddenly 'disappear'.

Victor sighed, stepping back from the window and onto the bed. Surprisingly comfortable, he thought, but his head reeled too much to even care about the softness of his bed. The crisp sheets were stained with blood. Victor relaxed, and brought out some cards from under his pillow. He was given them when he was a very young child, and he had kept them ever since. Fingering the cards, a small smile rose upon his lips as he remembered what it was like to be happy…when the world wasn't evil.

Victor enjoyed reading and playing with his cards, and the two activities were his two main pastimes. He hid a few secret books about fairy tales underneath his bed so that his parents couldn't see and take them away from him. Victor had read all of them, but when he was bored, he had to resort to re-reading them five times a day. His definite favourite was the tale of Rapunzel, and he often let his mind drift off to his and her similarity- they were both locked up, away from the world. But, in the end, Rapunzel escaped—with dire consequences. Victor knew that it would be the same if he escaped, that's why he never even attempted.

But Rapunzel never was hurt like this.

Victor realised at this point. He didn't deserve to be tortured for days and days on end in this prison. He didn't have to endure this for any longer.

"No," Victor whispered to himself. "If Mother and Father found out, then they'd kill me!"

However, his father wasn't going to come back for a few hours. Perhaps he could go out, get a look around and then come back. But…come back to that? This was his chance to get away from being mistreated all the time, from being unloved. Even though he had to return here, Victor just needed to experience the outside world and what freedom tasted like.

Victor sat up on his bed and looked toward the window determinedly. He'd do it. Sprinting over to the window, he pulled it up with all his might, grunting as he heaved. Finally, it slid to the top and a gust of wind slapped against Victor's face. He tasted the cold air. How fresh and sweet! It was just as he remembered it.

Without a moment of hesitation, Victor climbed up and jumped out of the window. He was out! He made it! Looking back to the brick house, he waved goodbye to it with a victorious smile. Skipping away, he admired London and her beauty. Tall buildings stood over him, and the cobbles dug into his bare feet, but he didn't care at all. He escaped, and that was all that mattered. No longer would he live in fear and pain. He continued his endless journey away from the house that he loathed so much. Just being outside and observing all the families that got along and loved each other gave Victor a change in mindset- this would be the last time he escaped from anywhere.

It would be the last time, as he would never go back to his house.

For once, Victor didn't care about the punishment awaiting him when his parents got home and realised what he had done. Anyway, to conduct a search, they'd need to contact the police and tell them the details. But the boy was apparently 'dead', so the police would definitely be suspicious of his parents. Maybe they could be arrested, and Victor would go to a new home with new parents that loved and cared for him! He had thought of this paradise years ago, but the evil mother and father of his threw away their home phone and used public ones all the time, just in case Victor discovered it and used it to ring the authorities. It never made any sense why his parents loved to torture him so much, and now he'll never know.

Thank goodness for that.

No one inquired about a young boy strolling down the dangerous streets of London unattended. Victor was extremely thankful, and he thought of it as more reason to believe that this was his lucky day. He skipped and laughed and sang, doing anything possible to demonstrate and broadcast his happiness. He never stopped once. Victor wished that these moments would last forever, and he did anything in his power and limits to make this come true.

But soon, the heavens opened and it began to pour with rain. The London streets cleared within minutes. The fact that it was also eight o clock in the evening added greatly to this, and it didn't take Victor long enough to know that he too should find somewhere to reside for the night. Victor searched for shelter, but no buildings allowed him in. Finally, he ended up at a local tavern, open to everyone. He smiled and opened the heavy wooden door, stepping open to the warmth. He shook his head, droplets of water flying off his hair and onto any nearby objects. It wasn't too busy inside the tavern, with a few men scattered around here and there. But in the crowd, surrounded by burly males…

…Was Victor's father.

Victor gasped and spun on his heel. His father wasn't supposed to be here! This was supposed to be his lucky day! Hopefully, if he was discreet enough, Victor could slip out and run away to find another place to hide. He was almost out the door before he heard a slurred yell behind him.

"VICTOR? !"

Victor didn't turn. Instead, he ran. He ran for his life, not caring about the pain under his feet and the darkness that was obscuring his path. He ignored the icy rain pouring down onto the city.

"VICTOR, COME BACK HERE AT ONCE!"

Victor refused to obey. He knew that if he gave into his evil father, he would literally be killed. It seemed as if most of the inhabitants of the tavern were his father's friends, as they joined him on the hunt for his son. The men chased after him down the street, causing Victor to try and pick up his pace. They screeched curses and foul words at the boy, but Victor still didn't stop. He wondered how long he'd have to keep running like this. As he was caught off guard, Victor slipped and fell face first into a puddle, the putrid liquid filling his mouth. He opened it, the water flowing out, and resumed his run. It was almost a limp, now that he had grazed his knee on the rough concrete. He asked himself what he would do when he ran out of energy.

The men were close now, following the small boy into a forest that he had run in. Victor picked up a heavy log that had fallen from a nearby tree and pushed it, rolling it towards the men. They tripped, struggling to keep their balance as the log caused them to fall. Victor knew that this act would buy him some time, but not much. He continued his run.

Suddenly, he was jumped and knocked to the muddy floor, the brown dirt splattering on his face. He must have missed one of the men back on the hill. That or, this one was quick enough. As his attacker flipped his hair to the side, Victor's eyes widened as he recognized the man's. His father was the one straddling and pinning him right then, glaring furiously with eyes like daggers at his son. Victor cried out as he struggled, knowing that he couldn't do anything whatsoever. As his father's head bent down to his, he had no choice but to face him.

"…Victor? Let's go home…we have something to do there, don't we?" His father whispered, restraining chuckles. "Heh, shall I get my friends over there too? We can try something new with you…"

Victor didn't know what his father had in mind, and he didn't want to. He just had his mind firmly set on escaping. Growling, he built up enough courage to stand up to the devil and finally lashed out, clouting his head against his father's. His father let out a shriek of pain as his hand flew up to rub it better. This stunned him long enough for Victor to slide free and resume his run.

He eventually got through the forest, losing the men at the same time. Exhausted, he stumbled over to a stone building nearby for shelter, pushing open the oak door with the little strength he had left. After that…he passed out in the doorway, falling to the floor with a thud.

* * *

"Dear boy, are you alright?"

Victor choked up some water mixed into mud, his eyelids weakly fluttering open. He realised that he was in a warm place, something fluffy wrapped around his body. Next he realised that an old man was hovering over him in concern. Candles flickered beside them, dimly lighting up the room. With half-open eyes, he surveyed his surroundings, noticing a yellow-painted wall and a red carpet over a stone floor. Various bookcases decorated the rather plain area.

"Wh…where am I…?" He croaked drowsily.

The elderly man chuckled. "You are in the Ido Church."

"The what?"

Victor saw that he was wrapped in a blanket and lying down on a bed at that moment. The strange old man must have taken care of him when he fell unconscious. Then he remembered how he came here. He shot up, flying into a state of panic.

"Is my father here? ! Is he here to beat me? !" Victor demanded in fear, confusing the old man for one of his father's friends.

"What?" The man asked, alarmed. "No! There's no one here to hurt you here."

Victor sighed in relief and calmed down, relaxing and slumping back into the mattress. Comfortable, he thought as he reclined. Parts of his arms and legs ached when he attempted to move them, as they were heavily bruised as well as exhausted. It was fortunate that he was rescued from that living hell he had to endure all of his life. But…rescued by whom?

"Who are you?" Victor wanted to know, looking expectantly up to the old man.

"Me? My name is Christopher, but you can call me Grandpa Jones" Grandpa Jones told him with a wink.

Victor wasn't sure whether to trust this man, but he did so anyway, as Grandpa Jones had taken care of him when he needed someone there for him. It could have been a trap, but Victor had been through worse things in his life. Anything was better than his daily life at home. Although there was a possibility of this 'Grandpa Jones' being untrustworthy and terribly unkind, there also was a possibility of him being the total opposite. With this in mind, Victor decided to take a chance on him.

"I'm Victor…" Victor nodded uneasily.

Grandpa Jones extended out a hand and Victor shook it. Victor's actions, at first were very small and timid, but observing Grandpa Jones' face, Victor wondered how this old man could ever be an unsavoury human being. Not with that smile and face, of course.

"How old are you, son?" Grandpa Jones asked gently.

"Uhm…I'm eleven…" Victor told him, trying not to count on his fingers.

As he grew up poorly educated, Victor had to work things out for himself most of the time.

"So this is the 'Ido' Church…" He mused, already trying to find out more about where he was and who this mysterious man going by the name of 'Grandpa Jones' was. "What are Idos, Grandpa Jones?" The young boy asked, sitting up.

"Idos? Oh, son… Idos are a group of very good people like Grandpa Jones. They want to get rid of evil in the world and make people happy."

"Evil? Like my parents?"

Grandpa Jones nodded, assuming that this boy's parents had been mistreating him. "Exactly. Idoists want to make evil people nice people," He cocked his head at Victor and raised his eyebrows. "Hey, Victor? How did you end up at this place anyway? Tell Grandpa Jones all about it."

And so, that was how the blossoming friendship between Victor and Grandpa Jones began. Every day, after a session of homeschooling, Victor would ask more about Idos and their culture, and every day Grandpa Jones would tell him a wonderful story about how the cult came to be. Victor spent the rest of his childhood fascinated with this brand new religion of the church. He grew to learn about their main festival, Arkday, and even found himself celebrating it. He and Grandpa Jones made the perfect family. On Victor's thirteenth birthday, Grandpa Jones introduced him to the Sacrenaught, the Idoist holy book in which they read together every night before bedtime.

It was this time when Grandpa Jones subtly brought up the subject of destroying the world, only masking it with an array of persuading verbs and adjectives, including the matter of Victor's parents in multiple times. This was enough to entice Victor into the idea. But, then, he didn't actually see it as killing the whole human race, he thought that there was just some miracle that 'The Chosen One' would perform and then suddenly, everything would become good. He was raised to believe that this was the right path to walk in, and that being an Idoist was the right faith to follow. Therefore, Victor became one. Someday, he thought that he would be the Idoist that brought happiness to every living thing on Earth, as told in the Sacrenaught.

When Victor was sixteen years old, Grandpa Jones was growing old and frail. Anyway, Victor was the one to get supplies from the nearby market instead of Grandpa Jones now, and he did so. Victor wasn't exactly a registered citizen of London anymore, and therefore nobody would know that he was truly an Idoist. He never really understood why known Idoists such as Grandpa Jones were prohibited from venturing outside. Perhaps they were being threatened by the public?

Checking the receipt, Victor left the store after waving goodbye to the friendly sales clerk. He pushed in his glasses as he carried the paper bags back to the church where he and Grandpa Jones resided. It was a long walk between the shops and the Ido Church, but Victor chose to brave it. Well, he had to anyway, so he actually had no choice. He happily skipped home until he saw the familiar architecture of the church, then he slowed down to a walk.

"Bread, eggs, meat, fish, carrots, butte-"Victor sang, before stopping in his tracks outside the church when he saw something at his feet.

Something covered in red. A body.

A body of a person he knew all too well…

"Grandpa…Jones…?" Victor rasped in horror, dropping the bags and rushing over by the old man's side.

_What?_

The man had a knife plunged into his stomach and had died from the blood loss. Victor's heart broke at the sight, and tears were already beginning to well up in his eyes. How had someone felt the nerve to do this? Right when everything was going perfectly well? Even though he knew perfectly well of the state Grandpa Jones was currently in, Victor still felt the need to check his pulse on his wrist, just in case.

Just in case of a _miracle._

When Victor felt no heartbeat, his own heart tore in two. This couldn't be! After everything that Grandpa Jones and he did together, after everything they taught each other, after every moment they'd shared…

_Why?_

" _WHO DID THIS?!_ " Victor screamed suddenly, gripping his hair. " _GRANDPA JONES, WHO DID THIS TO YOU?! ANSWER ME! PLEASE!_ "

_Who?_

He grabbed the bloody knife from the old man's deceased body and forcefully pulled it out. Crimson liquid dripped from the silver and onto his clothes, but Victor didn't care one bit. Tears streamed down his eyes as he examined the knife carefully. Victor slammed it down onto the dirty ground and collapsed next to it, sobbing and wondering what he'd do without the only adult in the world that was ever there for him…

That ever _loved_ him…

_"You see Victor, known Idoists cannot go outside as they are in grave danger!" Grandpa Jones stated as-a-matter-of-factly._

_"Why is that, Grandpa Jones?" Victor asked innocently, looking up to the old man._

_"Well, the evil people that Idoists want to change are on the hunt for us. They hate us because they don't want to change for the better."_

_"…That's really mean, Grandpa Jones!"_

_"I know, Victor. So if you ever see me hurt, or even dead when it isn't my time to go, there is a large possibility that a commoner did it to me."_

_"Dead? That won't happen, Grandpa Jones!"_

_Grandpa Jones beamed. "Of course not. I'd never leave you, Victor- we're a family now!"_

_"Yeah, that's right Grandpa Jones! A family!" Victor giggled, throwing his arms around the man and holding him close._

"Commoners…" Victor muttered through gritted teeth, realising the guilty party. "How dare they! _HOW DARE THEY TAKE GRANDPA JONES AWAY FROM ME!_ "

He stood up, dropping the knife by his side. Victor breathed heavily, dragging the body into the woods. He released it onto the river, watching as it floated away downstream. He said a mental goodbye to the man who had taught him everything he knew, before going back to the church. His world would never be the same. The love that he had felt for the universe had abruptly shattered, and now, the only thing on his mind was revenge.

 _This world…it's full of evil, damned sadists…,_ Victor clenched his fists, struggling to keep the pen in his hand as he hastily scribbled down his thoughts in his diary. _I need to get rid of them… I need to get rid of the world!_

He decided that, from then, he'd dedicate the rest of his years to figuring out how to destroy the evil human race. He'd do it. Victor would kill his parents, and the commoners of the world who have chosen to corrupt the planet. He wouldn't let Grandpa Jones die in vain.

And he'd never regret it.

It had been three years since the incident that made Victor see the world in a less positive light. And it had been three years since he had ever been up into their room, behind the bookcase. He had made a promise to himself not to go up there anymore, as it reminded him and pained him too much. Although his base was in the Ido Church, he slept on the pews with a blanket or two instead of a bed. Victor knew that it wasn't much harm to just go upstairs and sleep for only the nights in his old bed that he used to love, but he still went by his word as respect to Grandpa Jones.

The word 'love' meant absolutely nothing to Victor anymore. He acted as if he was kind and caring when he brought in a young girl by the name of Lyssa. This girl wasn't an orphan like Victor was, but she was found wailing and crying on the streets of London. Even if he only introduced Lyssa to his plan for business matters, he still saw a little bit of Lyssa in himself. The lost face, the distraught life… a part of Victor really cared about Lyssa like he acted, but most of him thought of her coldly.

Lyssa was quiet. When Victor tried to get her to speak, she was likely not to. As she was only very young, Victor didn't feel the need to punish her, and he spoke kindly to her for at least five or six years of her life. He taught her skills that she never knew before, such as cooking and writing, and sometimes they would settle down and read a good book together. These moments soon came to an end when Lyssa grew into her teenage years and had developed a mature mind, clever enough to understand what Victor was using her for.

No matter how many times Victor repeated the fact that they were going to get rid of the human race, Lyssa stood up for what she believed was right and argued that there were millions of innocents who didn't do anything wrong. For this, she was usually shouted at or locked in a room for an hour or two. But, since Victor was in charge of keeping her secret safe, she had to repay him in this way. She didn't dare ask what happened to the man to make him feel so vengeful towards the world, she only got on with the plan. Back then, it was still research.

One day, when Lyssa was sick and lying on a pew in the Ido Church helplessly, Victor had no choice but to venture outside and find some medicine without actually having the person there to prescribe it to. He stumbled across the Longhorn Research Facility a good half an hour later, and in there, he met Katrina. Katrina was also an Idoist, and she explained to him that this forest was Idoist territory. They could do whatever they wanted here. But with this information, Victor was still confused.

Why did the commoners kill Grandpa Jones?

Nevertheless, it was still Victor's ultimate goal to finish what his Grandpa Jones started. Katrina listened to Victor's plan, and agreed. She, Lyssa and Victor worked together for a time. Lyssa usually did only research to help, but it was Katrina and Victor who conducted the main experiments. The woman had experience with potions herself, as she had created one that definitely worked to revive anything from the dead. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, the two adults would go outside…and steal someone from the streets. From there, they would begin their experimentation. When the police realised that people were going missing, Victor and Katrina had to halt their plan for a little while, and act as if nothing happened at all.

When they couldn't find anything, the Police gave up and the case was closed, thanks to the Ido's hiding place. Years later, Victor and Katrina were more discreet with their schemes and plans, and didn't experiment on humans at all. It was around this time when Victor finally created the ultimate virus. He rejoiced with Katrina and Lyssa, before preparing for the last phases of the plan. He trained Lyssa to act like a typical, dominant teenager who would secretly hide Victor with all her life and Katrina to play the part as a lost adult who hadn't had any connections with many people in her life.

One year after the attempted destruction of London, Victor believed that it was a perfect time to put his plan into action, when Prime Minister Bill Hawks was just settling back into his normal life. When nobody believed anything could get any worse, suddenly someone complained about getting food poisoning from a restaurant they had been to a day before. Victor knew that everything was going as it was supposed to, as he had snuck in and dropped about a teaspoon of the virus into a random man's food on that night. Slowly, the man succumbed to the virus and became one of _them_.

He attacked his family, who attacked other families, and the virus spread across the world in the space and time of _one night_. The instigator of this abrupt cataclysm was overjoyed that everything was just going so _well_! He had never imagined what it was like to feel this pleased with himself and his assistants! Grandpa Jones was finally avenged, and the whole world was cleansed entirely of sin! Now, when a new race rose to be in the distant future, everyone would have learned from their mistakes and would not fall to the seven deadly sins.

Victor's main goal was fulfilled. Now all he could do was wait for someone to give him a suitable death for his own wrongdoings.


	19. THE FINAL SACRIFICE

_In the space and time of half a second, Luke races forward to him, pushing Flora out of the way in the process. Lyssa is fast to realise what Luke is doing, and she runs as well. As Victor turns back, Luke back-flips and kicks the gun out of his grasp. It flies into the air, and he follows its path. The object lands perfectly in Lyssa's hands. She tightens her grip on the gun and bares her teeth angrily. She raises the pistol to Victor's stomach. Lyssa keeps a keen eye on him and the others hold their breaths._

_"It's over…Victor."_

Victor has seen this coming. Of course he will finally be bested one day, and that day just so happens to be today. He knows that, when he put his final part of his plan into action, his reign of terror will ultimately end. He's had enough of toying around with Layton and the gang's feelings anyway, and knows that his time is up. Victor willingly surrenders to Lyssa with a calm smile on his face, not surprised that his own younger assistant, who helped him with his plan, would turn against him. After all, hasn't he turned against her?

A few steps in front of the main group stands a perplexed Flora Reinhold. She is wondering what is happening to her, and why Luke suddenly saved her life like this. What he did is highly dangerous, yet…he still did it for her. Flora blushes slightly, feeling as if she is appreciated by Luke. But, as she said earlier, she hasn't saved anything or anyone in her life. Why does she deserve to be rescued herself? This is the only question plaguing her mind right now; however, she pushes it to the side as she needs to know what will happen to Victor.

Will Lyssa do it?

Lyssa presses the gun against Victor's stomach, firmly placing it there and not moving an inch after. Everyone else stares on, and not even the Professor can resolve the peace this time. He is aware that Victor needs to be silenced, and there is no other way to do that now if Lyssa gives up this opportunity. There are no zombies in the area at the moment, so they have enough time to get this over and done with. Victor feels the gun dig into his body, and he tilts his head with a crooked smirk.

"Lyssa, won't the results be messy if you shoot this close?" He inquires, his voice wavering slightly.

The spunky girl grits her teeth, enraged. "If my clothes and face are covered in _your_ blood, Victor…I will be more than overjoyed."

Victor chuckles, impressed by the girl's courage. What has happened to the quiet and timid Lyssa that he had picked off of the streets years ago? Seeing the trembling pistol in Lyssa's nervous hand, Victor wants to have a little fun.

"Are you going to do it…Lyssa? Do you have the _strength and willpower_?" He taunts.

Lyssa hesitates to answer, growling. "…O-of course I do…!"

Victor sneers at the girl with the knowledge that this Lyssa cannot possibly be the one to end his life. Maybe one of the stronger ones of the group, yes, but not this little girl. Though she may act differently, nothing has changed about Lyssa Malone in the past eleven years. She has secretly been a quiet girl who chooses not to participate in most things, slightly like Flora, and Victor is the only one who can see through this 'tough' charade.

Luke and the others are already wanting to know what is taking Lyssa so long to do the deed. It's just one blow, and it's all over, right? All this pain and suffering Victor has given them… it will be over…right? After this evil man dies, everything will be back to normal. Luke and Flora will go back to school, Jade will be there to greet them and have fun with them again, Emmy will be back in the photography business, Clive will be back in jail and the Professor will maintain his title as a professor…

But, no matter how any of them want this to be true, they try to keep telling themselves one thing- _Nothing will ever be the same._

"Hmm, really…?" Victor jeers, not attempting to even run away in the slightest. "Keheh…then what about that compassion you held for the man who raised you…who cared for you…who loved you like a brother?"

"You didn't raise me!" Lyssa curtly snaps. "And if you truly cared for those moments like I do, then why did you try to kill me? !"

Victor tosses his head to the side dramatically, staring fondly at no particular object. "Oh, did I? I'm very sorry. Please, do accept my sincere apology."

Lyssa's left eye twitches as she struggles for a comeback. Oh, why can't she just pull the damn trigger?! She can't help but cast her mind back through all the memories she and Victor has shared in the past. It's true, Victor has been like a brother to Lyssa in the past eleven years that he had taken her in. If it wasn't for Victor, Lyssa would probably be dead right now. Victor saved her life, and offered more in the making- therefore, Lyssa's only life's goal has been to repay him. She has been at his every beck and call, not realising the damage she was doing to the world. And Victor has been ever so kind to her since then, forming a false impression of the man. That has been his goal all this time.

"You actually can't do it, can't you?" Victor frowns at her cowardly act of simply standing still and staring at him threateningly.

"Tha…that's not true, I… I will…!" Lyssa stutters, trying to convince herself of the fact.

"Oho, right, you still think I'm your _friend_ , right? Well, make the sacrifice, Lyssa! Your 'precious' friend or the world!"

The green-haired girl gasps gently. She hasn't thought of it like that. She hasn't thought of what she is doing as if she's sacrificing one for the other. But…it's true though, isn't it? If she lets Victor live, he might cause more destruction and kill all the other humans left. He might devise a plan to blow up the Earth itself or something like that. But there is one thing that Victor is guaranteed to do if Lyssa lets him live-

_He will kill the group._

Victor leers at Lyssa, treating her as if she is nothing at all to him. After all these years of him pretending to be nice to her, while really thinking of her as an annoying pest, has obviously had a huge impact on this girl. Thanks to his actions prior, she can't find the strength in herself to kill this man. _Typical_ , Victor thinks bitterly. _Lyssa is still the same wimp he's forever known._

Secretly though, Victor feels the overwhelming urge to thank Lyssa for all her help. Without her, his plan probably would have failed.

Before he dies, Victor wants to be remembered as a human…not the man who destroyed the world. He wants everything to be a dream…he will wake up and there, standing over him, will be Grandpa Jones. They will embrace, and daily life will go on as it used to. No more Idoist prejudice, no more abusive parents, only…joy. Maybe, if this hate against the Ido Cult hadn't taken a turn for the worse….

…Maybe, Victor would have been accepted into the world as a human being.

Yes…he'd experience hugs, kisses, gifts, happiness… _Love_. Just what anyone's life needs a double dose of to be delightful. He'd go to school and have friends there to comfort him whenever he is upset. Yes, he'll wake up from this everlasting nightmare and find himself as an eleven year old boy again-An eleven year old boy with a mindset too innocent to be filled with dirty thoughts of revenge and hate. In this way, Victor will never find himself spiraling into insanity.

That is his only wish.

"Hey Lyssa," Victor finally decides to give her some motivation to kill him, and flashes her an eerie smile. "Do you remember the first time we met? The night…of the blast…?"

She nods, unable to find her voice.

_"KERRY? !" Lyssa screamed. "KERRY, WHERE ARE YOU? !"_

_She grasped her hair tightly with her hands, struggling to find her breath. Her heart pounded in her chest as she collapsed to her knees. "No no no!"_

_Lyssa expected Kerry to skip out of the cloud of smoke and rush over to hug her. But that didn't happen. That never happened. Lyssa tried to scream as many times as she could, but it was no use._

_Kerry just wouldn't come back._

_Lyssa bit her lip so aggressively it drew blood. She buried her distraught face into her palms, sobbing loudly. Where was Kerry? Was she searching for Lyssa? No, that couldn't be the case; the area was too small for her to get lost. That thought worried Lyssa more than anything else. And what would her parents say when they found she had been to London and had almost died? Lyssa couldn't face them._

_She wanted to stay here forever, to find Kerry. Lyssa tried asking around, but nobody would listen to her. Everyone else was too busy with their own problems, as they all had suffered a mental shock._

_How many people had died? How many people were injured? How many people were missing? Kerry was among one of the missing. What if Lyssa could never find her again? What if…she had to live her whole life without Kerry, her only best friend? Somehow, no matter how many times Lyssa refused to believe it, Kerry was probably dead._

_"It was all my fault…!" Lyssa shrieked. "If I hadn't begged her to stay, then she wouldn't be dead!"_

_"I need to be with her! I need to apologize!" She decided. "I'll come back soon, but now I need to go to heaven to apologize!"_

_Lyssa jumped into the flames. Or rather, she tried to. A hand pulled her back from the scene, and she struggled in the person's grasp._

"Can you remember anything…particular…from that night?"

Lyssa shakes her head this time. She closes her eyes in pain, her heart flying wildly in her chest. Why is Victor suddenly asking this question? What's done is done, and there is nothing that anyone can do about the matter.

"Nothing," Lyssa says with a sad sigh. "All I remember is the screaming…the fire…and the fact that Kerry was taken from me."

Victor snickers. "Yes…can you remember _how_ she died exactly?"

The girl sucks in her lips nervously. "No…I just remember that she got engulfed by the flames. That's it."

"But…" The man's corner of his lip curls up into a crazy smile. "She was standing right next to you, no? How could she be the one to die and not you…? Surely… _someone_ …might have been behind this…"

Lyssa stares at the ground with wide eyes. What was Victor saying? ! Someone else can't possibly be involved with Kerry's demise, as it was the impact of the blast that had hit her! Only, Lyssa was faster so she wasn't as unfortunate… No, that isn't right—Kerry tried to jump out of the way, but jumped into the…no, that isn't right either. The two girls at the time were both as active and alert as each other.

So…was Victor saying that a person had… _pushed her?!_

No. Lyssa's grip on the gun tightens as her jaw trembles in fear. This can't be happening. Kerry's death was always branded as a pure accident, and that she had breathed in too much smoke to survive or something like that. And now, Victor's saying that someone had _murdered_ her? ! H-how? How could Victor possibly know this information?

Behind her, the Professor has already put all the pieces together, and has realised what the man is hinting at now. Clive and Emmy see the light shortly after, and they gasp at the devil of a man standing right in front of them. Looking over her shoulder at all the glaring faces, Lyssa also is now aware of the meaning behind Victor's words. She struggles to believe it, and she doesn't want to, but her anger is far too overwhelming. This sudden realisation is far too much for her brain to handle. Lyssa turns around slowly, back to Victor, and narrows furious eyes at him.

"That's right, Lyssa… _I killed your friend so you would obey me and my plan._ " His words slice through the shock buzzing around Lyssa, and sends her into a moment of mixed emotions.

Pain, anger and fear bubbles rise up inside her as she falls down a spiral of fabricated words Victor had fed into her. After everything she believed from him, after all those times when he spoke to her…

_"You are an amazing girl, Lyssa. I just know we'll be the best of friends."_

…It was all a lie. He was merely using her for the sake of completing his evil scheme, and nothing more. There was nothing there between them, no feeling, no friendship, no…anything. Does this mean that… he was lying to her for _all_ of these years? ! Victor had told her that Kerry's death was an unfortunate incident that no one wanted to happen.

But that was just… bullshit. All of it was…everything was.

Now Lyssa's world is tearing at the seams and crumbling to the floor. First, her friend dies in an accident that is revealed not to be an accident, then she is fed thousands of lies by someone she thought believed in her, and now she has betrayed her only friends by keeping secrets of her own from them. If only she and Kerry never wandered past the forest at the time. If that had been the case, then maybe things would be different by now. Well, there were other children at the scene that Victor could snatch and use, so perhaps this theory wouldn't be the case. Probably not.

If Victor hadn't chosen her, Lyssa would be dead. But, in effect, he still did destroy her life. And Lyssa will not tolerate the fact that her life has been meaningless, all thanks to a certain someone. All of these emotions she has built up inside of her in the last ten seconds have reached their peak, and now they are flowing in a heated current to the gun in her hand. No longer is it trembling. She moves it up to his ribcage, finding roughly where his beating heart is with the end of the gun.

The Professor gasps, but cannot keep his eyes away. Luke, Dave and Flora feel the urge to cover their eyes and Clive and Emmy remain emotionless.

The world slows down and time stops.

_I'm sorry, everyone._

Lyssa clenches the gun with a fearless grasp and Victor raises his head slightly, accepting defeat. The girl doesn't care anymore about the care she once held in her heart for this man and without hesitating, pulls back the trigger.

_This world was…fun._

There is a loud blast, followed shortly by a sickly squelch.

_Please…forgive me._

Blood splatters onto Lyssa's face and her clothing, coating her in red. Victor's body slowly stumbles back, and collapses down onto the ground in a pool of crimson. The liquid pours out of his mouth, his face is pale with shock and his eyes are empty. Lyssa breathes heavily, unable to take in what she had just done. And then she realises.

Victor is dead.

She gasps silently, her own eyes wide with horror. She flicks a droplet of blood away from her face in a swift motion, her heart thundering in her chest so loud that she won't be surprised if the people behind her heard it. Lyssa steps one foot back from the body and does nothing to prevent the tears from streaming down her face. She can't comprehend that she has killed a man with her own hands, but at the same time, she is overjoyed that most of their misery and pain will stop now.

The Professor closes his eyes and sighs, mentally mourning the man who took everything away from everyone. He knows that it was only the insanity that steered him to the path he chose, and that he was too intoxicated by the idea of revenge that he couldn't see the people right in front of him in the right way. But even with this in mind, even the Professor can't find it in his heart to forgive Victor for his sins. Nothing can justify what he did.

Lyssa turns around to face everyone with a small smile. They all know. She can't find anything to say other than what she just did, but they all know that. Lyssa spends a moment in silence, before falling to the concrete floor, unconscious. Dave holds his breath.

"She's fainted!" He cries, rushing towards her and attempting to pick her up.

No doubt about it. The Professor isn't at all surprised, as this must be a lot to take in for the girl. To have all her emotions at once bursting in her brain and then finally unleashing her fury on someone will be incredibly hard to cope with. The others are still a little bit hesitant about helping her, as she betrayed them as well, but they are convinced by the Professor that she has turned over a brand new leaf in the time that they've spent with each other.

The silence is abruptly broken by the familiar groaning echoing all around them. All of their (excluding Lyssa's) heads snap up in the direction of the noise, to see that the zombies are gathering around them again, more than anyone can count. They moan, reaching out their arms to capture their prey. Their mouths are hanging in the most unnatural, grotesque fashion, and some zombies' eyes have fallen out of their sockets. Needless to say, the sight is indeed horrifying. Not that any of them aren't used to it, however.

"The gun! The loud noise brought them here!" Emmy notifies the rest before they can actually ascertain the situation.

"We must leave now!" The Professor shouts, making sure that everyone can hear his command. "Everyone! Quickly! To the car!"

Lyssa begins to stir at this moment, and the Professor rushes over to her and takes her hand. "Come with me, dear."

Unaware of her actions, Lyssa drops the gun right next to Victor's body and mouths an apology for leaving him there. With the Professor's help, everyone speeds away to the location of the car. It seems that only he remembers where it actually is, despite being preoccupied with everything that has been going on.

"Professor! There's too many for us to handle!" Clive yells over the living dead's rasping, clutching Emmy's hand tightly.

Emmy breathes out and blinks twice. Bravely, she lets go of her love's hand and gives him a warm smile.

"You go on ahead, Clive. I'll stay here and fight."

"What? !" He cries, completely stunned by Emmy's courage. "B-but you'll die!"

Emmy chuckles hollowly. "Don't worry. I'm one of them, remember? My abilities and senses are advanced."

Clive nods his head slowly and sadly, not wanting to believe what Emmy is saying is true. If she doesn't stay behind, then they'll all die very quickly. Someone must sacrifice themselves for the group- it's the only way. Emmy pats his head comfortingly.

"I'm going to be okay," She reassures him. "If I don't make it, then just remember that we'll meet again on the other side."

With these words, Emmy suddenly is swallowed up into the crowd of undead creatures before she can even attempt to go with him, leaving Clive alone and shocked. He stays in this position for a few seconds, wondering what he'll do if he lost Emmy. If he did…then it would be official. This life was purely just there to torture him- if he lost his parents, his adoptive mother and the love of his life in eleven years, then Clive just might fall into insanity again. He silently prays that Emmy will be alright, and will stroll back into his arms as the funny, perky and headstrong girl that she is.

"Clive?" Luke calls back, wanting to know why he's standing there when he could be escaping.

Looking back in the direction that Emmy disappeared to for the final time, Clive nods once and then springs off. Meanwhile, Emmy jumps down into the clearing surrounded by zombies and slides her weapon out after whispering a quiet prayer that everything will be just fine. She stands in a threatening position, ready to attack.

"Come at me…," She mutters lowly toward every single one of them, watching them with a determined eye. "…zombie bitches."

* * *

"It's just around the corner now!" The Professor reminds them, running in front of everyone and holding desperately onto his beloved top hat.

He still has a firm grip on Lyssa's hand to prevent her from falling down. It seems that she is drifting in and out of consciousness, unable to tell the difference between dreams and reality. Nevertheless, the Professor's grip is returned as she clings on for dear life. Luke, Flora and Dave are helping each other out, running side by side. When one stumbles, the others help them up again. Clive is behind everyone, not running as fast as he is able to, as half of his thoughts are preoccupied with worry. He tries to be optimistic, but it fails.

Please let her be alright…please….

As they turn a corner, in full view, there is the car that Don Paolo once called 'Christina'. Thankfully, it is unharmed, but it appears to be a little bit beaten and tired out. The Professor knows that Christina will be experiencing her last journeys soon. Everybody slows down when they near it. The humans gather together and quickly jump in the door where everything is safe. They all take a moment to gather their breaths so they have enough air to think properly.

"Clive, what happened to Emmy?" Luke asks in concern, worried also for his 'rival'.

Clive raises two hands to his face and buries it in them. "Ah…She said that she was going to stay there…and fight for us…"

Silence falls on the group. This can't be! Emmy can't die, not today! Even if she is still an undead creature, she can't lose her second life so fast!

"Does she know the way back?" Dave inquires.

"I highly doubt it. Only the Professor remembers…" Clive answers, his voice trembling.

Another moment of awkward silence as everyone realises Emmy's sad fate. Clive even feels a warm tear trickling down from his eye as he thinks back on how much he loves her. She's so down to earth…so kind…so loving…how could he let a wonderful life like that just simply go to waste? If anything, Clive should have been the one who stayed behind. Emmy shows promise and potential, and he's just the most hated man in London. Or was, anyway. Luke, on the other hand, is feeling ever so guilty for not doing anything at all at this drastic time. Luke remembers when he first met Emmy back in Misthallery, and how she was strong-willed and funny enough to keep his spirits high.

That's when he gets it.

"Guys! We can't just leave Emmy there to die! We have to rescue her!" Luke suggests boldly, throwing his stare to the Professor. "That's what we should do!"

"But Luke, it's far too dangerous!" The Professor protests.

"I agree with Luke. We should save her, after all, hasn't she done enough for us?" Flora backs up her best friend, placing a soft hand on his shoulder. Luke smiles at this kind gesture.

The Professor hesitates for a moment, remembering his duty as a true gentleman- never let your friends down. He sighs in defeat and then turns around to face all the people behind him.

"Alright, it seems that I cannot change your minds," He confesses, and the group cheer in victory. "So, here's what we need to do…"

As if on cue, the rain stops.

* * *

Even for a dead girl, Emmy seems to tire out easily. She has just conquered her sixteenth zombie, but yet she knows that this amount isn't enough, as more are creeping slowly towards her. The numbers just never drop. They begin to close her in, coming at her from all different angles. She fights with all her strength, trying to disregard the fact that it's completely no use. No matter how many zombies she kills, more of the creatures just join the queue. Can't they sense that Emmy is not food? Ah…that's right.

Emmy has a _brain_.

Blood is no longer pulsing through her veins, nor is her heart beating any longer. And yet…she still has a brain filled with common sense. It's too bad that it'll all go to waste, anyway. Emmy will pass out in exhaustion or the like, and then fall prey to the flesh-eating monsters herself. At least she will die in honour. She thinks back onto what she will miss from this life. She will miss Luke's enthusiasm, the Professor's knowledge and reasoning, Dave and Lyssa's on/off relationship, Flora's bravery and…most of all, she'll miss Clive. Emmy will even miss that Don Paolo's car-invention, Christina.

Speaking of Christina…is that an engine she hears? Emmy's ears perk up to the sound.

Above all the growling and groaning emitting from the zombies surrounding her, a roaring engine blasts from behind, making her whip around in curiosity. Music is also blaring from the radio at full volume, attracting more zombies to it, but it doesn't switch off. Emmy peers over the many heads in front of her to witness a gracious sight- a sight that she had been secretly hoping to see all this time. She gives it a knowing smile.

The exact same automobile she was thinking about is now cruising in front of her, doing its best to avoid zombies as it goes. At the wheel is the Professor, concentrating on the infested road ahead. Beside him is Luke, advising him on where to go with Flora sat next to him. Resting on the floor at the back is the reeling Lyssa, and stood on the roof is Clive with Dave sat at his feet, crazed smile on his face.

"There are absolutely _hundreds_ of them!" The Professor exclaims in worry. "Can the car take any more destruction?!"

"I guess we're going to find _ouuuuuttttt -_!" Luke shrieks as they pass into the crowded area and knock down zombies as if they were bowling pins.

Dave lets out a pleasured whooping laugh as he clutches onto the pole, enjoying every single moment of this rescue. Clive can't help but chuckle at the boy's excitement, and at the same time he is holding tightly onto the pole himself. He crouches down to give himself more balance.

Emmy stares at the scene in awe, knowing that she thankfully won't die…again. After doing away with the zombies that get too close into her personal space, she watches on at Christina, which is racing towards her at top speed (the fastest anyone could go in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, anyway) with the radio still on. Emmy can clarify that Dave has turned that on now, with the knowledge that he's eager for adventure.

The car skids to a halt a good ten metres away from where Emmy is stood, unable to get any closer to her as there are too many zombies blocking their way. Clive jumps off the roof of the car and slams a foot down onto a zombie's head. He dodges a zombie attack swiftly by sliding down and then he swipes the creature off its feet, causing it to hurtle back into another zombie.

"Emmy!" He calls over the noise, waving a hand to signal where they are.

"I'm here!" She yells back.

Clive breathes a sigh of relief as he is shown that she's safe. However, to get to each other, they both need to fight through the crowd of bloodthirsty creatures. No matter how tired Emmy is, she keeps fighting for her safety and the others'. So does Clive, but it is extremely hard to destroy many zombies with only the knowledge of martial art and no weapon of any kind. The zombies close in around the car with the radio now, and the inhabitants begin to fret.

"Quickly!" The Professor alerts the two outside. When he notices that they can't go any faster, he turns to the children behind him. "Has anyone got a weapon of a sort we can buy time with?"

Dave hops down from the hole above and rushes over to the controls in front of all of them. He scans all the buttons with an observing eye, and then his face lights up.

"Dude! I've seen this control in a video game before!" He announces joyfully.

Ignoring the rather impolite way to address him, the Professor leans over to see the button that Dave is going on about. "Ah, but are you sure it will—?"

Completely intoxicated by his own excitement, Dave presses the button anyway before the Professor can even finish his question. More than Dave has expected, the bottom sides of the car open and, accompanied with a robotic-sounding tune, cannons slide out. He opens his gaping mouth wider and lets his head hang out of the window, gazing at the sight in awe. He mutters the word 'awesomeness' under his breath and presses a few other buttons on the panel to make the cannons fire. The zombies fall back into one another as if they were dominoes, while Dave watches in amazement.

"Professor, where the hell did you get this? ! This car is absolutely _AWESOMESAUCE_!"

The Professor chuckles in memory. "This car belongs to a…very good friend of mine. If we ever see each other again, then I must thank him very much for this gift. I hope he's alive."

Luke lurches forward over the controls and decides to help Dave with shooting out the zombies while Clive helps Emmy get back to the car. They steer clear of the firing cannons, which are attracting creatures as well as ridding of them, and aim for the door on Luke and Flora's side. As soon as the Professor sees them coming, he fires up the ignition and prepares to drive away. Flora thrusts open the car door and Luke extends his hand out. Clive grabs Luke's hand in one second, and with Emmy, they are both pulled into the car, Dave slamming the door after them. They all tumble head over heels in the back, having been thrown off their balance.

Luke accidently crashes into the half-conscious Lyssa, who springs to alert after being woken up so suddenly.

"Eh? Who's there?!" She demands, breathing heavily.

"Nobody, my dear," The Professor reassures, keeping his eyes plastered on the road. "Nobody is here to hurt you."

"What's wrong?" Emmy queries, interested in why Lyssa is still in shock.

"…," The Professor holds his breath. "…Victor."

Lyssa freezes at the mention of the name. She…killed him. He's no longer a member of this world. And no matter how much he deserved it, why does Lyssa feel so guilty? After all, if she hadn't done that, then Victor would have killed her to be sure. She tries to get that fact into her head, no matter how much it hurts her to think about it.

"Victor…," Clive seethes with anger and slams a fist on the wall beside him aggressively. "I don't want to hear that _bloody_ name ever again."

"Clive, language," The Professor scolds sternly.

"...sorry," He apologizes. "It's just…I can't forgive him for what he did to Emmy… he _killed_ her, for crying out loud!"

"Heh heh…it's alright, Clive…I can live like this," Emmy nervously chuckles, scratching her cheek with her finger.

Clive looks up to her, his teeth grinding together in frustration. What the hell is Emmy saying? She's dead, and she's still optimistic and humorous. Clive feels the need to unleash his anger at this moment, but he calms down for the sake of everyone in the car at the moment. He breathes out all his fury and agitation before speaking.

"No, Emmy, you can't. It's not fair for you to go through all this pain...," He looks down to the floor and bites his tongue. "…Of being like this."

Emmy is about to argue, but she knows herself that it will be a great struggle not to try and kill her own friends once in a while. Soon, she'll grow sick and insane, and start destroying everything everyone has left. She's already a monster…thanks to that man. How much longer does she have to put up with suffering in this way?

"You're right, Clive," She admits sadly. "You're absolutely right…if only there were some way of 'killing' this demon side of me."

Clive nods in agreement. If only… hah, it's too good to be true. There is absolutely no possible way of bringing back the dead, no matter how hard anyone tries. There is absolutely no possible way of resurrecting them… He blinks.

 _Resurrecting…_ The Resurrection potion! Of course! How could Clive have missed this? He suddenly fumbles around in his jean pockets, searching for the object that can make a miracle happen. He smiles in happiness when his fingers close around the cool glass. It's a wonder how most of the potion hasn't tipped out already. But… there's a problem- how can he give it to her? If Clive tells Emmy that Katrina made it, then there's absolutely no way she'll take it. If he keeps her in the dark, then she'll refuse too. He decides to resort to the last option he'd use as a gentleman. But what if the potion doesn't work at all? What if it has drastic side effects?

The others watch in interest at the pair, excluding the Professor and Lyssa. Clive retrieves the object from his pocket and sips a little bit of it, trying to ignore the foul taste.

"Clive? What's that?" Emmy asks, curious.

Clive doesn't answer with a sentence. Instead, to everyone else's shock, he answers with a _kiss_.

His lips suddenly press against hers, and, despite how surprised she is, Emmy kisses him back. They do this passionately, enjoying their first kiss as much as they can before the Professor turns around. Then, before he gets too caught up in the moment, Clive opens his mouth slightly ajar and feeds her the liquid. Emmy's eyes widen as she feels the warm potion trickle down her throat and she pulls away. She has no choice but to swallow it.

"What the _hell_ was that? !" Emmy keeps the back of her hand at her lips, coughing.

Clive doesn't answer, hoping that the potion should work immediately, just as scribed in the note by Katrina herself. No one says a word, as they are too shocked that Clive would just go forward and do such a thing, regardless of their feelings for each other. Clive joins the silence by praying and waiting for this thing to take effect. The next ten seconds that follow are the longest seconds of Clive's life, and they feel like months as they tick down. Emmy expects an answer, folding her arms to broadcast her impatience.

"Yeah, what did you do, Clive?" Luke asks, chirping into a matter that was none of his concern.

Said man simply stares at his love blankly, while inside he is racking his brains as to why the elixir isn't working. It has to…Katrina said it will… Didn't she? Just as Emmy is about to argue and protest further, she lets out a pained gasp and clutches her fingers. Clive notices the terror in Emmy's eyes and rushes over to her side immediately.

"Wh-what did you do to me?" She rasps, gritting her teeth to help ease the agony.

"I…saved you," Clive can only whisper.

He hates seeing Emmy in pain, but he knows that this will be nothing compared to the torture she would have been put through if he didn't do this. Now all he can do is trust in Katrina and her ability to make miracles happen. Emmy lets out a shriek and collapses to the floor, causing the Professor to unexpectedly swerve and stop the car.

"May I ask what's going on?" He remains calm, refusing to lash his harshness out on the screaming girl.

Her cries catch the attention of everyone, even Lyssa. Emmy trembles on the ground of the car, tears welling up in her eyes. Before them all, her skin starts to glow brightly and her claws begin to shrink back into her fingers. As she opens her mouth, they notice that Emmy's fangs have decreased in size. Despite his love being in great distress, Clive can't help the overjoyed feelings bubbling up inside of him. It's working! Emmy is returning to be amongst the living!

The potion inside her finds its way to the arteries in her neck, and from there, they are carried down into her heart. After a few moments of being overwhelmed by the magic, it… beats. Her heart restarts, and her blood is beginning to be pumped around again. With a tiny little bit of the potion being inside each blood cell, these cells eat away the dead ones that linger from Victor's little 'injection'.

And then…

The screaming ceases. Emmy lies in shock.

What…just happened?

She runs her tongue against the bottom of her top teeth to find that the surface is completely smooth, with no points or sharp edges. She then feels the tips of her fingers for any protruding edges. None. For a final check, Emmy presses a shaking hand against her chest.

A heartbeat…

She gasps and then gazes into Clive's eyes longingly. "Clive…I don't know what you did...," She throws her arms around him and holds him close. "…But thank you so much! I can't seem to thank you enough!"

"Ah…it was nothing" Clive rubs a hand on the back of his head, smiling.

"Nothing? Clive, you saved my life!"

The man wraps his arms around her this time and kisses her forehead. "I…I guess I did."

The moment of romance between them is interrupted by an annoying voice coming from above.

"Dawww~!" Dave beams, staring right at them dreamily. "I saw a scene exactly like this in the movies once!"

Instead of dismissing Dave away as if he were some pesky bug, Emmy and Clive choose to laugh lightly at this remark. They are overjoyed that one another is safe from harm, and that they are both human now. Now they believe that they truly are made for each other. The Professor can't help but give a half-smile at his assistant finding love, being alive and most of all, being happy. Come to think of it…how is Emmy alive anyway? Is there really such thing as a true love's kiss? The Professor decides to find out.

"How did you do this, Clive?"

He turns around to face the Professor with a calm smile. "How did I save Emmy, you mean? Well…do you remember when I left the group earlier today?"

The Professor nods, before getting all of it completely. Clive went back to the Research Facility, didn't he? And then… The Professor casts his mind back to yesterday, when Katrina talked about her family to Clive as Layton pretended to sleep, when he had been listening in on their conversation. In that conversation, Katrina mentioned something to do with a potion that could revive the dead. The Professor nods with understanding now. Katrina was an Idoist, so the potion had to be created in the Idoist Research Facility…yes, it all makes sense now! After speaking of this theory of his to the others, Clive nods, impressed.

"Wow, Professor, I've only said one sentence and you got it already! You're really good!" Clive complements.

"Haha, I try," The Professor tips his hat.

The Professor starts the car once again and drives off. Luke looks at the road ahead and observes the lack of zombies around this area.

"So…um…Professor? Where exactly are we going?" He inquires, taking his hat into his hands and brushing it off.

"Into the main city," The Professor replies. "There's probably a refuge centre there or something we can stay in now."

All the people in the car nod once and then stop talking. Luke and Flora are sat together, eyes on the road, Clive and Emmy are hugging each other, Lyssa is lying at the back and Dave is sat on the roof, feeling the breeze on his face. A part of them all wants to be happy for themselves and the others, as they have defeated the main villain. But they still feel so…melancholy at the same time. Despite Victor being over and done with, the gang can't help but still feel upset. They gaze into space, not really focusing on anything particular.

What will they do when they get to the refuge center? Will they tell everyone about the Idoist problem? Will they perhaps make new friends and see a few familiar faces? Well, first, the Professor has to circle around London to actually find a centre, if there is one. Hopefully their assumptions are correct, and there really is a refuge center they can stay in until the world is rebuilt and most of the zombies are dealt with. They look forward to that day where everything is happy again with no more pain and misery. Even Clive would prefer jail, where he knows his friends are safe outside, to this world.

Just like Victor, they wish that this has been all one huge nightmare. They are all having the same dream or maybe one of them is making this whole thing up out of their subconscious. If it does happen to be a dream however, all of them can't wait until they awaken.

Lyssa regrets betraying her friends so much. It isn't like she had a choice however, but she still feels a sense of thick awkwardness between her and the rest of the group. She feels that the only one who truly cares about her is the buffoon, Dave, who she had to spend a few agonizing nights in a hotel with. Maybe though, if he finds it in his heart to give her a chance, then maybe she should return the favour in the future. Maybe she should just apologize and get back on to good terms with everyone. Yeah…that's what she needs to do.

"Listen everyone," She addresses them, and they turn around to face her with the friendliest faces they can manage at a traitor. "…with all that has happened recently, I've got to say that…I'm really sorry for being behind everything. I didn't mean for this scheme to go this far…even I was played with by… 'You know who'. Please forgive me, as I can atone for my sins, and that is exactly what I'm willing to do."

The others exchange hesitant glances, soaking everything Lyssa said in. Like the Professor had thought before, he believes that she has a good heart and will help her friends out in a time of need. Because that's what she did for Victor. If she helped out Victor, then she will surely help out them. With the Professor convincing them that Lyssa has a change of motive, the rest of them aren't so sure about her, but with the words coming from her own lips, they know that they can officially trust her now.

"That's okay" Luke grins widely.

"Yeah, we forgive you!" Flora pipes up.

Emmy and Clive smile gently and nod at the girl as a sign of accepting her apology, and the Professor laughs, glad that Lyssa can find her own voice now. Dave bends down into the hole from above the car and cheerfully beams at her.

"Yup! I forgive you anyway!"

The Professor laughs and says that he accepts her apology as well, earning a feeling of happiness from the girl. Lyssa is ever so thankful that they can take her in, even after what she has done to them. She giggles with the others, and for the first time in eleven years, her joy isn't artificial. It feels real, and now, everything feels real. Lyssa giggles, brushing a strand of hair to the side.

Now, it's all done. All the negative feelings have gone away and the mystery is solved. Luke and Flora sit in the second seat together. Rather than complaining that they are squashed, they keep quiet and lean against each other as if they were best friends. The sun begins to set in the horizon, making the sky turn a shade of beautiful orange.

"Isn't the sunset lovely, Luke?" Flora asks dreamily, wanting to know if the boy shares the same opinion as her.

"...meh."

"'Meh'? What do you mean, 'meh'?! You're supposed to answer you know" Flora huffs.

Luke half smiles and looks at the face of his closest friend. "I'm not really into sunsets. I'm more into animals and things like that."

Of course, Luke has the ability to converse with animals. Strangely, he hasn't even done that once on this adventure. Perhaps his mind's been too preoccupied with the zombie apocalypse, so much so that he had forgotten about his main passion. Flora questions him about this, and Luke chuckles lightly.

"Hm… I did get preoccupied, yes. Preoccupied with protecting my friends from danger" He admits.

"Aww…that's sweet," The girl replies, then her humorous face is replaced with a serious one. "…so, when do you think the world will ever get back to normal?"

Luke sighs heavily and closes his eyes. "Simple. It won't."

Flora turns away, trying not to believe it, even though it's true. Luke's not being pessimistic, he's just being realistic, as everyone can figure out that things will never be the same. Secretly, Luke admires Flora's optimism and bravery. Maybe, if they believe in the world, than it will go back to normal quicker and sooner. Perhaps. It's a pretty low possibility, but the majority of the prayers that they have made have been answered positively so far. Who's to say it won't happen again?

Out of the blue, the Professor halts the car, causing everyone to jolt forward instantly. Dave accidently slams his head against the pole and groans, rubbing his skull to ease the pain.

"Ooh…that's gonna leave a bruise," He mutters dizzily, his head spinning.

"What's wrong, Professor?" Luke jumps up and places his hands on the controls in front of him.

"Nothing we can't fix, my boy," The Professor points to the window in front of him. "There are too many creatures out there, and I don't think that Don Paolo's car here can take any more abuse. Sorry if I startled you all."

The moaning outside confirms the Professor's point. There are quite a few of them on the deserted road, but not too many. Clive, Emmy and Dave share determined glances before two of them jump up onto the roof and leap down to the road in front of the car.

_It was only two weeks ago in which the virus first broke out. People thought it was only a simple cold, as it had the same symptoms, but then they started dying from it. Once these people were 'dead', they'd rise again, only this time as carnivorous zombies craving human flesh. The virus had spread all over Britain faster than ever before, leaving hardly anybody remaining alive._

Clive and Emmy stand in front of the hoard of zombies, ready to attack. Dave leaps down into the car to activate the cannons while Luke and Flora offer to help. Lyssa decides to throw some loose metal from the car, aiming at the zombies crawling behind them and the Professor supervises them all.

_My name is Luke Triton. My mentor, Professor Layton, my adopted sister, Flora Reinhold, and friends, Clive Dove, Emmy Altava, Dave Wilson and Lyssa Malone accompany me to this very day._

Everyone looks at each other, signalling that's it's alright to attack. Dave grins and gives the thumbs up.

_We now know the cause behind the end of the world. Now that the mystery is solved, perhaps we'll experience less sorrow in our lives than we already have been put through._

Clive and Emmy rush forward and strike on a few nearby zombies. Lyssa lunges and throws the metal right at the closest zombie's face, causing it to stumble back on its behind. Luckily, once zombies are down on the floor, they don't have the intelligence to get back up again. Flora presses the button to fire the cannon, and the small bullets pierce many of the zombies' heads. She laughs, feeling a sense of accomplishment, before letting Luke and Dave have a turn.

_No matter how much we want it, this will never be over…Because of this, we all need to keep fighting. If we do… then maybe, just maybe...._

The humans exchange smiles with each other, showing everyone their strong friendship with one another, a bond that will never be broken. With this, the Professor rubs the rim of his top hat, and mentions that **'every puzzle has an answer.'**

_…We can finally achieve the happy ending we deserve._

THE END.


End file.
